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Other Developed Countries (other + developed_country)
Selected AbstractsThe Changing Structure of the UK Economy: Implications for the Current AccountECONOMIC OUTLOOK, Issue 2 2005Article first published online: 4 MAY 200 In common with other developed countries, the UK has seen the relative importance of the service sector grow, accounting for an ever greater share of employment and output , a trend that has accelerated over recent decades. At the same time, globalisation means that international trade is of increasing importance as a share of UK expenditure. With the traded goods sector dwindling in importance, what are the implications for the current account? This paper examines the changing structure of the UK economy and prospects for the current account. Although the current account is expected to remain in deficit for the foreseeable future, the size of the deficit is likely to remain manageable as growing surpluses from trade in services and investment income offset a widening goods deficit. [source] Expenditure on the NHS in PerspectiveECONOMIC OUTLOOK, Issue 3 2000Martin Chalkley In the wake of the recently-announced increases in health spending, Martin Chalkley reviews the record of health spending in the UK both historically and comparatively. It is clear that prices paid by the NHS have increased more than prices in general, and once this is allowed for then it appears that real health spending today is only twice that of 50 years ago as compared with the fourfold increase suggested when using a general price deflator. Such differential inflation is obviously not a problem which is confined to the UK, and it does add considerably to problems in making proper comparisons between levels of health spending in different countries. In spite of these difficulties, it seems that compared with many other developed countries, health spending in the UK as a proportion of GDP is modest. So, looking ahead, there is some way to go before the UK attains the levels of spending achieved in many other countries. But understanding the reasons for relative price changes is vital if any proposed increases in spending is to be translated into increases in the quantity and quality of services provided. [source] Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of drug use among adolescents: results from the Mexican Adolescent Mental Health SurveyADDICTION, Issue 8 2007Corina Benjet ABSTRACT Aims To estimate the life-time and 12-month prevalence of illicit drug use among Mexican adolescents, the age of onset of first drug use and the socio-demographic correlates. Method A multi-stage probability survey of adolescents aged 12,17 years residing in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area was carried out in 2005. Adolescents were administered the computer-assisted adolescent version of the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview by trained lay interviewers in their homes. The response rate was 71% (n = 3005). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed considering the multi-stage and weighted sample design of the survey. Findings Of the adolescents, 5.2% have ever tried illicit drugs, 2.9% in the last 12 months. The most frequently used drugs are marijuana, followed by tranquilizers/stimulants. The median age of first use is 14 years. Correlates of life-time drug use are older age, having dropped out of school, parental drug problems, low religiosity and low parental monitoring. Conclusions While drug use among Mexican adolescents is lower than among adolescents from other developed countries, its increasing prevalence with age and the narrowing male/female ratio calls for firm public health actions, particularly prevention strategies. [source] National and Regional Prevalence of Self-reported Epilepsy in CanadaEPILEPSIA, Issue 12 2004José F. Tellez-Zenteno Summary:,Purpose: To assess the point prevalence of self-described epilepsy in the general population nationally, provincially, and in different groups of interest. Methods: We analyzed data from two national health surveys, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS, N = 49,000) and the Community Health Survey (CHS, N = 130,882). Both surveys captured sociodemographic information, as well as age, sex, education, ethnicity, household income, and labor force status of participants. Epilepsy was ascertained with only one question in both surveys. "Do you have epilepsy diagnosed by a health professional?" (NPHS) and "Do you have epilepsy?" (CHS). Prevalences were age-adjusted by using national standard populations at the time of each survey. Exact 95% confidence intervals were obtained. Results: In the NPHS, 241 of 49,026 subjects described themselves as having been diagnosed with epilepsy, yielding a weighted point prevalence of 5.2 per 1,000 [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.9,5.4]. In the CHS, 835 of 130,822 subjects described themselves as having epilepsy, yielding a weighted point prevalence of 5.6 per 1,000 (95% CI, 5.1,6.0). Trends in differences in prevalence among some Canadian provinces were observed. Prevalence was statistically significantly higher in groups with the lowest educational level, lowest income, and in those unemployed in the previous year. Prevalence also was higher in nonimmigrants than in immigrants. Conclusions: The overall and group-specific results are in keeping with those obtained in other developed countries by using different ascertainment methods. We discuss methodologic aspects related to the ascertainment of epilepsy in both surveys, and to the validity and implications of our findings. [source] The Multicenter Study of Epilepsy Surgery: Recruitment and Selection for SurgeryEPILEPSIA, Issue 11 2003Anne T. Berg Summary:,Purpose: Multiple studies have examined predictors of seizure outcomes after epilepsy surgery. Most are single-center series with limited sample size. Little information is available about the selection process for surgery and, in particular, the proportion of patients who ultimately have surgery and the characteristics that identify those who do versus those who do not. Such information is necessary for providing the epidemiologic and clinical context in which epilepsy surgery is currently performed in the United States and in other developed countries. Methods: An observational cohort of 565 surgical candidates was prospectively recruited from June 1996 through January 2001 at six Northeastern and one Midwestern surgical centers. Standardized eligibility criteria and protocol for presurgical evaluations were used at all seven sites. Results: Three hundred ninety-six (70%) study subjects had resective surgery. Clinical factors such as a well-localized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormality and consistently localized EEG findings were most strongly associated with having surgery. Of those who underwent intracranial monitoring (189, 34%), 85% went on to have surgery. Race/ethnicity and marital status were marginally associated with having surgery. Age, education, and employment status were not. Demographic factors had little influence over the surgical decision. More than half of the patients had intractable epilepsy for ,10 years and five or more drugs had failed by the time they initiated their surgical evaluation. During the recruitment period, eight new antiepileptic drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States and came into increasing use in this study's surgical candidates. Despite the increased availability of new therapeutic options, the proportion that had surgery each year did not fluctuate significantly from year to year. This suggests that, in this group of patients, the new drugs did not provide a substantial therapeutic benefit. Conclusions: Up to 30% of patients who undergo presurgical evaluations for resective epilepsy surgery ultimately do not have this form of surgery. This is a group whose needs are not currently met by available therapies and procedures. Lack of clear localizing evidence appears to be the main reason for not having surgery. To the extent that these data can address the question, they suggest that repeated attempts to control intractable epilepsy with new drugs will not result in sustained seizure control, and eligible patients will proceed to surgery eventually. This is consistent with recent arguments to consider surgery earlier rather than later in the course of epilepsy. Postsurgical follow-up of this group will permit a detailed analysis of presurgical factors that predict the best and worst seizure outcomes. [source] Epidemiology of primary systemic vasculitis in the Australian Capital Territory and south-eastern New South WalesINTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 11 2008A. S. Ormerod Abstract Background:, The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiology of primary systemic vasculitis in the Australian Capital Territory and the surrounding rural region between 1995 and 2005. Methods:, Cases were ascertained by a medical record search according to international consensus classification criteria. For antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitides, ascertainment was corroborated by a search of all positive antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody serology during the study period. Denominators were obtained from region-specific census data collected during the study period. Prevalence, incidence and patient characteristics for primary systemic vasculitides were determined for two 5-year periods, 1995,1999 and 2000,2004. Results:, We identified 41 cases of primary systemic vasculitides (Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), Churg,Strauss syndrome or polyarteritis nodosa) between 1995 and 1999 and 67 between 2000 and 2004, giving prevalences of 95/million (95% confidence interval (CI) 76.9,116.1) and 148/million (95%CI 125.1,173.9), respectively. Annual incidence was similar in both periods (approximately 17/year per million adult population). Disease-specific incidences (per million per year) for each of the two periods were 8.8 and 8.4 for WG, 2.3 and 5.0 for MPA, 2.3 and 2.2 for Churg,Strauss syndrome and 2.3 and 1.1 for polyarteritis nodosa. The rural incidence of MPA was 13.9 (95%CI 7.7,23.5) compared with 1.6 (95%CI 0.2,7.2) in the city and there was a trend towards a higher incidence of WG in rural than urban areas. Conclusion:, The overall incidence of primary systemic vasculitides is similar to that reported from other developed countries. WG is more common in south-eastern Australia than in southern Europe, whereas MPA is less common. There was a trend towards higher incidence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitides in rural than urban areas. [source] Auditors' Perceptions of Time Budget Pressure, Premature Sign Offs and Under-Reporting of Chargeable Time: Evidence from a Developing CountryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 3 2006Teerooven Soobaroyen This study examines the existence and effects of auditors' time budget pressure, premature sign-offs (PSO) and under-reporting of chargeable time (URT) in the context of a developing country, namely Mauritius. Several antecedent variables of budget pressure were also considered. Based on a mailed questionnaire survey, the perceived extent of time budget pressure (as measured by budget tightness) was found to be significantly lower than in other developed countries (United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and United States). Significant cross-national differences were also observed for the levels of PSO and URT. Although budget tightness was significantly related to PSO, this was not the case for URT. This has led to the suggestion that URT may be less dependent on levels of budget tightness and may have become an ,institutionalised' practice within audit firms. Finally, none of the hypothesised antecedent variables were significantly related to budget tightness. [source] Social, Economic and Demographic Consequences of Migration on KeralaINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 2 2001K.C. Zachariah Migration has been the single most dynamic factor in the otherwise dreary development scenario of Kerala during the last quarter of the last century. It has contributed more to poverty alleviation and reduction in unemployment in Kerala than any other factor. As a result of migration, the proportion of the population below the poverty line has declined by 12 per cent. The number of unemployed persons , estimated to be only about 13 lakhs in 1998 compared with 37 lakhs reported by the Kerala Employment Exchanges , has declined by over 30 per cent. Migration has caused nearly a million married women in Kerala to live away from their husbands. Most of these so-called "Gulf wives" experienced extreme loneliness to begin with, and were burdened with added family responsibilities to which they had not been accustomed when their husbands were with them. But over a period, and with a helping hand from abroad over the ISD, most came out of their early gloom. Their gain in autonomy, status, management skills and experience in dealing with the world outside their homes were developed the hard way and would remain with them for the rest of their lives for the benefit of their families and society. In the long run, the transformation of these million women will have contributed more to the development of Kerala society than all the temporary euphoria created by remittances and modern gadgetry. Kerala is dependent on migration for employment, subsistence, housing, household amenities, institution building, and many other developmental activities. The danger is that migration could cease, as shown by the Kuwait war of 1993, and repercussions could be disastrous for the State. Understanding migration trends and instituting policies to maintain the flow of migration is more important today than at any time in the past. Kerala workers seem to be losing out in international competition for jobs in the Gulf market. Corrective policies are needed urgently to raise their competitive edge over workers in competing countries in South and South-East Asia. Like any other industry, migration from Kerala needs periodic technological upgrading of workers. Otherwise, there is a danger that the State might lose the Gulf market permanently. The crux of the problem is Kerala workers' inability to compete with expatriates from other South and South-East Asian countries. The solution lies in equipping workers with better general education and job training. This study suggests a twofold approach. In the short run, the need is to improve the job skills of prospective emigrant workers. This could be achieved through ad hoc training programmes focussed on the job market in Gulf countries. In the long run, the need is to restructure the educational system, taking into consideration the future demand of workers not only in Kerala but also in potential destination countries all over the world, including the US and other developed countries. Kerala emigrants need not always be construction workers in the Gulf countries; they could also be software engineers in developed countries. [source] Europe and the Immigration of Highly Skilled LabourINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2001Sami Mahroum The competition for highly skilled labour continues to be fierce and is taking a more institutionalized pattern across most of the developed world. This article sketches the changes in policies, legislations, and procedures across various EU countries and compares these with those of other developed countries. The article shows that EU member states not only compete with non-EU countries and regions but also among themselves in order to attract and maintain sufficient flows of highly skilled labour. [source] Predictors of mammography uptake in Korean women aged 40 years and overJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2008Eunjung Ryu Abstract Title.,Predictors of mammography uptake in Korean women aged 40 years and over Aim., This paper is a report of a study performed to identify the predictors of mammography uptake for Korean women according to the stage of change, as determined by the transtheoretical model. Background., Although breast cancer is the most common female cancer in South Korea, its early detection rate here is low when compared with other developed countries. The transtheoretical model can be used to facilitate health promotion based on individual health behaviour and to devise stage-tailored interventions. Method., The participants were a convenience sample of 920 women aged ,40 years between December 2005 and February 2006. A cross-sectional design was used in which participants completed a questionnaire that consisted of measures of the transtheoretical model. To provide a standard of measure, the variables were converted from raw scores to standard scores and then to T scores (mean = 50, sd = 10). Logistic regression analysis was then used to estimate predictors of the stage of maintenance of mammography uptake. Findings., The most frequent stage of mammography uptake was ,contemplation'. Predictors of mammography uptake included decisional balance, commitment to regular screening and avoiding contact with the healthcare system. Commitment to regular screening and breast self-examination were strongly related to mammography maintenance. Conclusion., The results of this study can be used for the development of theory-based and empirically supported mammography uptake intervention strategies and programmes directed towards women aged ,40 years. [source] Solving nursing shortages: a common priorityJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 24 2008James Buchan Aims and objectives., This paper provides a context for this special edition. It highlights the scale of the challenge of nursing shortages, but also makes the point that there is a policy agenda that provides workable solutions. Results., An overview of nurse:population ratios in different countries and regions of the world, highlighting considerable variations, with Africa and South East Asia having the lowest average ratios. The paper argues that the ,shortage' of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications, it is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the present conditions. The causes of shortages are multi-faceted, and there is no single global measure of their extent and nature, there is growing evidence of the impact of relatively low staffing levels on health care delivery and outcomes. The main causes of nursing shortages are highlighted: inadequate workforce planning and allocation mechanisms, resource constrained undersupply of new staff, poor recruitment, retention and ,return' policies, and ineffective use of available nursing resources through inappropriate skill mix and utilisation, poor incentive structures and inadequate career support. Conclusions., What now faces policy makers in Japan, Europe and other developed countries is a policy agenda with a core of common themes. First, themes related to addressing supply side issues: getting, keeping and keeping in touch with relatively scarce nurses. Second, themes related to dealing with demand side challenges. The paper concludes that the main challenge for policy makers is to develop a co-ordinated package of policies that provide a long term and sustainable solution. Relevance to clinical practice., This paper highlights the impact that nursing shortages has on clinical practice and in health service delivery. It outlines scope for addressing shortage problems and therefore for providing a more positive staffing environment in which clinical practice can be delivered. [source] Food consumption impacts of adherence to dietary norms in the United States: a quantitative assessmentAGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2-3 2007C. S. Srinivasan Dietary norms; Dietary adjustment; Food consumption impacts; Quadratic programming Abstract Promotion of adherence to healthy-eating norms has become an important element of nutrition policy in the United States and other developed countries. We assess the potential consumption impacts of adherence to a set of recommended dietary norms in the United States using a mathematical programming approach. We find that adherence to recommended dietary norms would involve significant changes in diets, with large reductions in the consumption of fats and oils along with large increases in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Compliance with norms recommended by the World Health Organization for energy derived from sugar would involve sharp reductions in sugar intakes. We also analyze how dietary adjustments required vary across demographic groups. Most socio-demographic characteristics appear to have relatively little influence on the pattern of adjustment required to comply with norms. Income levels have little effect on required dietary adjustments. Education is the only characteristic to have a significant influence on the magnitude of adjustments required. The least educated rather than the poorest have to bear the highest burden of adjustment. Our analysis suggests that fiscal measures like nutrient-based taxes may not be as regressive as commonly believed. Dissemination of healthy-eating norms to the less educated will be a key challenge for nutrition policy. [source] Prevalence and determinants of cytomegalovirus infection in pre-school childrenJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 5 2009Timothy P O'Brien Aim: The aim of this study is to measure the seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in 3.5-year-old children, and identify the determinants of seropositivity. Methods: A total of 1714 children were enrolled at birth. Approximately half were small for gestational age and half were appropriate for gestational age. Information on the children was collected at birth, 1 year and 3.5 years. At 3.5 years blood was collected and tested for CMV-specific immunoglobulin by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 530 children. Results: The weighted seroprevalence of CMV was 32.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 27.4,38.1%). The seroprevalence of CMV varied markedly by ethnicity (European: 26.5% (95% CI 20.9,32.2%); Maori: 68.0% (44.0,92.0%); Pacific: 74.5% (56.3,92.6%); Indian: 50.0% (20.2,79.8%); Chinese: 47.2% (10.8,83.5%); Other: 21.9% (0.0,52.7%); P < 0.001). Socio-economic factors, number of siblings, day care centres attendance, maternal smoking, breastfeeding and other factors examined were not related to CMV seropositivity. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of CMV in New Zealand pre-school children is similar to that reported from other developed countries. The finding of marked ethnic differences is unexplained by socio-economic factors, or other factors that were examined. [source] Hospitalisations due to pertussis in New Zealand in the pre-immunisation and mass immunisation erasJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 3 2007Rebecca L Somerville Aim: Pertussis disease burden in New Zealand in recent decades has been large compared with other developed countries. However, these comparisons use data from relatively short time periods given the long epidemic cycle of pertussis. To better understand the current disease burden, this study examined pertussis hospitalisation data in New Zealand in both the pre-immunisation and mass immunisation eras. Methods: Hospital discharge data and population data from 1873 to 2004 were used to estimate average pertussis hospital discharge rates per decade. Rates were compared using relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Average annual pertussis hospitalisation rates per 100 000 were less than two from 1873 to 1919, increased to 12 in the 1940s, decreased to less than four in the 1960s and have increased since then with the rate in the current decade being 5.8. Compared with the 1960s (3.8 per 100 000) the average annual rate has been significantly greater in the 1980s (RR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.03, 1.21), 1990s (RR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.23, 1.44) and 2000s (RR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.42, 1.68). Since 1960 hospitalisation rates have increased for those less than one year old, one to four years old and five years and older. The increases have been most marked for infants (RR 2000s vs. 1960s = 2.87, 95% CI 2.59, 3.18). Conclusion: After an initial decline following mass immunisation, pertussis hospitalisation rates in New Zealand have subsequently increased steadily. To reduce pertussis disease burden improved immunisation coverage and timeliness is required and consideration given to spreading the pertussis vaccine schedule over a wider age range. [source] Undergraduate psychiatric nursing education at the crossroads in Ireland.JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2006The generalist vs. specialist approach: towards a common foundation This paper provides a critical overview of undergraduate educational preparation for psychiatric nursing and proposes the use of a model, which may equip psychiatric nurses to adapt to current and future directions in psychiatric nursing practice. It contends that mental health nursing is a distinct scope of practice and as such requires specialty undergraduate education. A major difference between educational preparation for psychiatric nursing in the Republic of Ireland and the UK, and distinct from most other developed countries, is the existence of separate, specialized pre-registration programmes that, upon graduation, allow the nurse to register as a psychiatric nurse. In other countries such as, Australia, the integration of pre-registration nurse education into the university sector resulted in the wide-scale adoption of a generalist approach to nurse education. In light of the recent changes in pre-registration nursing education in Ireland, and the integration of nursing into higher-level education, this paper examines the generalist vs. specialist approach to nurse education. It contends that neither the generalist nor the specialist model best serve the nursing profession in preparing safe and competent practitioners. Rather, it argues that the use of a model which incorporates both generalist and specialist perspectives will help to redress the imbalance inherent in both of the existing approaches and promote a sense of unity in the profession without sacrificing the real strengths of specialization. Such a model will also facilitate psychiatric nurses to adapt to current and future directions in psychiatric nursing practice. [source] Evaluation of the performance of iron-based oxygen scavengers, with comments on their optimal applicationsPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005Joseph Miltz Abstract Oxygen scavengers are commonly used in packaged foods in Japan and much less so in other developed countries, in spite of the advantages that they offer in maintaining quality and extending shelf-life. The reason stems from the additional cost involved, and even more so because of the lack of sufficient technical information on their performance and the lack of understanding of how to apply them effectively. In the present study the performance of iron-based oxygen-scavenging sachets was evaluated. It was found that the actual scavenging capacity is much higher than the ,nominal' capacity provided by the manufacturers. Also, a significant distribution in the oxygen absorption capacity exists, even in the same scavenger type. The rate of oxygen scavenging was found to depend on the scavenger type and capacity. It was also found that in an atmosphere containing CO2 (as in MAP applications) the iron-based oxygen scavengers also absorb CO2. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Detection of invasive protein profile of Streptococcus pyogenes M1 isolates from pharyngitis patientsAPMIS, Issue 3 2010TADAO HASEGAWA Hasegawa T, Okamoto A, Kamimura T, Tatsuno I, Hashikawa S-N, Yabutani M, Matsumoto M, Yamada K, Isaka M, Minami M, Ohta M. Detection of invasive protein profile of Streptococcus pyogenes M1 isolates from pharyngitis patients. APMIS 2010; 118: 167,78. Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is a re-emerging infectious disease in Japan and many other developed countries. Epidemiological studies have revealed that the M1 serotype of Streptococcus pyogenes is the most dominant causative isolate of STSS. Recent characterization of M1 isolates revealed that the mutation of covS, one of the two-component regulatory systems, plays an important role in STSS by altering protein expression. We analyzed the M1 S. pyogenes clinical isolates before or after 1990 in Japan, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE profiles were different between the isolates before and after 1990. Markedly different profiles among isolates after 1990 from STSS and pharyngitis patients were detected. Sequence analysis of two-component regulatory systems showed that covS mutations were detected not only in STSS but also in three pharyngitis isolates, in which proteins from the culture supernatant displayed the invasive type. The mutated CovS detected in the pharyngitis isolates had impaired function on the production of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B (SpeB) analyzed by 2-DE. These results suggest that several covS mutations that lead to the malfunction of the CovS protein occurred even in pharyngeal infection. [source] Extending rural and remote medicine with a new type of health worker: Physician assistantsAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 6 2007Teresa M. O'Connor Abstract The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate that the medical workforce shortage is an international phenomenon and to review one of the strategies developed in the USA in the late 1960s: the physician assistant model of health service provision. The authors consider whether this model could provide one strategy to help address the medical workforce shortage in Australia. A systematic review of the literature about medical workforce shortages, strategies used to address the medical workforce shortage, and the physician assistant role was undertaken. Literature used for the review covered the period 1967,2006. Physician assistants provide safe, high-quality and cost-effective primary care services under the direction of a doctor and respond to workforce shortages in rural and remote areas, family practice medicine and hospital settings. This model of health care provision has been adopted in several other developed countries, including England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Canada. The physician assistant concept might provide Australia with a novel strategy for addressing its medical workforce shortage, particularly in rural and remote settings. [source] The beauty of the gift: the wonder of living organ donationCLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4 2007Aaron Spital Abstract:, In a recent opinion piece, Nancy Scheper-Hughes provides a sweeping indictment of living organ donation, even in cases where the gift is directed to a close family member. She describes the process with caustic powerful phrases such as "sacrificial violence" and a "call to ,self-sacrifice.'" She concludes that living organ donation "should be consigned to a back seat as an exceptional back-up to deceased donation." But her conclusions are based on anecdotes and data that are not representative of donor practice and motivation in the United States and other developed countries. At reputable transplant centers great care is taken to identify genuine volunteers and to protect their interests. Under these circumstances living organ donation remains a generally safe and beneficial procedure for the donor as well as the recipient, and a wonderful example of the goodness of people. [source] | |||||||||||||