International Comparative Review of Health Care Regulatory Systems

This report analytically and comparatively reviews international models and experiences in the development and implementation of health care regulations. The study commences with an introduction to the concept of health care regulations, and then describes the most universally common approaches for putting them into practice: licensing, accreditation, and certification. Depending on the country and its economic and political structures, different governmental and voluntary regulations over health services have evolved. Traditionally, in most countries, official licensure of health personnel has been the favored approach. Various other forms of control have, however, been applied to other health resources. [from abstract]