Progress in the prevention and treatment of diseases has contributed to remarkable improvements in life expectancy and quality of life in OECD countries in recent decades. At the same time, spending on health care continues to climb, consuming an ever-increasing share of national income: health expenditure now accounts for 9% of GDP on average in OECD countries, up from just over 5% in 1970. This fourth edition of Health at a Glance provides the latest comparable data and trends on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in indicators of health status and health risks, as well as in the inputs and outputs of health systems. For the first time, this publication also includes a chapter on new comparable indicators of quality of care, showing variations across countries in measures such as survival rates after heart attack, stroke and cancer. Each indicator in the book is presented in a user-friendly format, consisting of charts illustrating variations across countries and over time, brief descriptive analyses highlighting the key findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator. A statistical annex provides additional information for most indicators, often presenting time series going as far back as 1960. This publication takes as its main basis OECD Health Data 2007, the most comprehensive set of statistics and indicators for comparing health systems across the 30 OECD member countries. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting