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The International Handbook of Public Financial Management is essential reading for governmental policy-makers, and practitioners and consultants working in this field, whose importance has been highlighted by the global financial crisis. It is a primary source for academics and students of economics, public finance, accountancy and public policy.

Canada has a diverse population of 32 million people and a universal, publicly funded health care system provided through provincial and territorial health insurance plans. Public health activities are resourced at provincial/territorial level with strategic coordination from national bodies. Canada has one of the longest-standing genetics professional specialty organizations and is one of the few countries offering master's level training designed specifically for genetic counselors. Prenatal screening is offered as part of routine clinical prenatal services with variable uptake. Surveillance of the effect of prenatal screening and diagnosis on the birth prevalence of congenital anomalies is limited by gaps and variations in surveillance systems. Newborn screening programs vary between provinces and territories in terms of organization and conditions screened for. The last decade has witnessed a four-fold increase in requests for genetic testing, especially for late onset diseases. Tests are performed in provincial laboratories or outside Canada. There is wide variation in participation in laboratory quality assurance schemes, and there are few regulatory frameworks in Canada that are directly relevant to genetics testing services or population genetics. Health technology assessment in Canada is conducted by a diverse range of organizations, several of which have produced reports related to genetics. Several large-scale population cohort studies are underway or planned, with initiatives to harmonize their conduct and the management of ethical issues, both within Canada and with similar projects in other countries.

<i>Background:</i> Increasing numbers of health care users may be confronted with new genetic knowledge and discoveries that offer new types of medical decision-making. How people use these new insights and make decisions about genetic risk depends, at least in part, on their knowledge and attitudes about human genetics. <i>Methods:</i> A postal survey administered to 560 women who had been offered prenatal screening in Ontario measured knowledge about, and attitudes toward, genetic testing and the uses of genetic information. <i>Results:</i> Respondents strongly supported the use of genetic information to improve disease diagnosis and to help understand disease causes; however, people also held a more critical attitude towards certain aspects of testing and genetic information. Relatively high levels of knowledge about genetics were also observed in this sample, although there were deficits in specific areas (e.g., transmission patterns). <i>Conclusions:</i> Despite overall positive attitudes towards genetics, participants held more critical attitudes towards certain aspects of testing and the uses of genetic information. It would be unwise for genetics policy-makers and stakeholders to assume that a better-informed public would automatically be more supportive of all genetics research and new genetic discoveries.