Trends in Development of the Health Care System
During the days of the early colonists, our health care system was a system of superstition and faith. It has evolved into a system predicated on a strong be- lief in science; the epidemiological model of disease; highly developed technol- ogy; and strong values of individuality, competition, and free enterprise. Two major forces—free enterprise and sciences—have largely shaped the problems we now face. Health problems have evolved from the epidemics of 1850 to the chronic diseases of today, notwithstanding the resurgence of tuberculosis and the AIDS epidemic. In 1850, health care technology was virtually nonexistent; today, it dominates the delivery of health care. We now take for granted such dramatic procedures as kidney, heart, and liver transplants. New technologies and biomedical milestones are materializing daily (Torrens, 1988, pp. 3–31). However, the consequences of these events are also rising daily in terms of extraordinary costs and countless practice issues and errors, discussed earlier.
Table 8–6 Infant Mortality Rates for Selected Countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Cuba: 1960, 2006, and 2007, and 2012 estimates
Nation