Heaven can wait.
The apparently unlimited demand for health care, finite supply of resources, the internal social market and continuous technological advances have given rise to increasing concern about the performance of health services. We examine an important measure of health care performance--avoidable mortality. Studies extending the scope of avoidable mortality and other outcome indicators are discussed. Although avoidable mortality is limited to providing a warning signal of possible health care deficiencies and is not an appropriate measure for all types of intervention, it still provides us with one of the best guides to the performance of health services.
Holland
W W
WW
Department of Public Health Medicine, UMDS, London.
Fitzgerald
A P
AP
Hildrey
S J
SJ
Phillips
S J
SJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013222:State Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology