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The article examines key healthcare changes proposed in the white paper "Liberating the NHS," published by Great Britain's health secretary Andrew Lansley on July 12, 2010. The healthcare reform plans to place patients at the centre of health decisions, base quality measures on outcomes, and allow patients to control their health records.

Focuses on the reform issue surrounding health care regulations in the United States. List of regulations and regulatory processes the American Hospital Association wants to be changed; Estimation on the compliance cost of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act for hospitals; Impact of regulatory compliance on care; Challenge issued by Tommy Thompson, Health and Human Services secretary to health care leaders. INSET: A VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES.

Although it's always been obvious that there has to be a link between nurse staffing levels and quality of patient care, it wasn't until the 1990s that research led by Linda Aiken in the United States (Aiken et al 1994) began to produce evidence of the nature of this relationship. I led the first study in England to establish whether or not similar links would be apparent in NHS hospitals, and its findings were reported in 2007 in the paper that underpins this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reports that the British government has announced it will publish a public health white paper for England in the fall of 2010.

This article aims to explore three main concepts related to the professional development of nursing professionals. This paper first critically reviews and reinterprets scientific evidence on the relationship between nurse staff allocation and healthcare outcomes and then challenges some of the common interpretations of this evidence in the professional literature. Secondly, in the absence of solid empirical evidence provided by sophisticated datasets in this field, we consider how Communitarianism may provide a well-defined, highly appropriate ethical framework for further developing and improving the nursing profession and healthcare outcomes. Thirdly, this article examines the role of Communitarian ethics in setting Taiwan's healthcare priorities and promotion nursing's core professional values. In conclusion, we recommend several conceptual health policy frameworks to ensure patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the release of the white paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services," by health secretary Patricia Hewitt in Great Britain. Nurses will be at the center of the reform of medical care in the country. They are expected to perform new tasks including the promotion of health services in the community, encourage patients to be self-dependent and work longer hours.

Highlights the consultation papers produced by several Foresight panels in Great Britain, about the aging population, medical care and the materials sector. Trends identified by the Ageing Population panel of the government's Foresight initiative; Increased burden on health services; Consultation paper published by the Materials Foresight Panel.

Comments on the British government's policy paper on giving patients more choice, entitled "Building on the Best". Aims of the paper; Criticism of the British National Health Service; Purpose of extending patient choice.

Developing the Healthcare Workforce, a consultation linked to the white paper Liberating the NHS, sets out new arrangements for the commissioning and funding of healthcare professional education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents news items on medicine in Great Britain. The National Clinical Audit Advisory Group is examining whether the quality of local clinical audits could be linked to premiums paid by trusts to the National Health Service (NHS) Litigation Authority. British nurse practitioners have been allowed in 2010 to contribute to the Information Prescription Service database. The Primary Care Trust Network of the NHS Confederation has published a discussion paper on physician commissioning.

Nurses must have an automatic place on GP consortia boards, the RCN said last week in a briefing paper sent to MPs on the Health and Social Care Bill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RCN members are being asked for their views on the government's white paper, which sets out one of the most radical overhauls of the NHS since its inception in 1948. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the pilot introduction of periodic revalidation scheme in optical sector which will be conducted by the General Optical Council (GOC) in Great Britain between July and December 2009. It is stated that the details about the scheme have yet to be finalized by the GOC, but the requirements is part of the White Paper changes. The GOC spokesman states that the revalidation scheme is a significant development that will affect all registrants in the country.

The article reports on the issues that the nursing leaders have expressed dismay at a government decision to allow doctors to break away from talks on the future of professional self-regulation in Great Britain. The report noted that the Department of Health announced during a meeting of stakeholders about the two working groups which will take forward the proposals set out in the white paper "Trust, Assurance and Safety," published in February 2007.

The article comments on the white paper "Trust, Assurance and Safety -- The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century," published by the British government, which aims to bolster public confidence in the medical profession. It cites that the major changes will affect the constitution, role and function of the General Optical Council (GOC). It criticizes the proposal for health professionals to demonstrate their fitness to practice through revalidation arrangements.

The article focuses on the response of the nursing organizations toward the government's white paper on community care in England. They pointed out the cost of shifting from a secondary to primary care considering the current financial condition. Nurses are also speculating where the additional staff will come from and how resources will be allocated to the community.

This article explains that United States President George W. Bush declared that every physician should use electronic health records (EHRs) to improve quality and reduce cost. In his State of the Union address, he called for the nation to eliminate paper medical records within a decade. The existing medical system is drowning in the inefficiency caused by lack of automation. The incentives in the current reimbursement system are so misaligned that doctors are reluctant to acquire technology. The US would save an estimated $144 billion per year by using appropriate information technology in hospitals and clinics. Approximately 98,000 preventable deaths occur each year because doctors write prescriptions for medications that cause harm.

This article presents information about the health policy in Great Britain. The British government has published a delivery plan for its Choosing Health White Paper. The plan is backed up by two action plans, Choosing a. Better Diet: a food and health action plan, and Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan. Results of the first three and a half years of the Great Britain Dept. of Health's mandatory MRSA surveillance system in acute Trusts in England have been published. The total number of MRSA bacteraemias in England in April-September 2004 fell to 3519.

The article presents the author's views about the health policy of Great Britain. I confess to a slight bias towards public health. As a result, public health is slipping from the agenda. The Public Health Association of Great Britain had a similar message, saying that despite last year's white paper on the subject, the government had to be more bullish about tackling the numerous public health problems the country faces. To be fair this government has done more than most to encourage us to discard our junk food and rise from our sofas.

Reports on news on health care reform. Prospective Payment Assessment Commission report on global budgets; Position paper by the American Society of Internal Medicine on insurers; Health care reform in other countries.