Health at a Glance 2009
OECD Indicators

This edition also contains new chapters on the health workforce and on access to care, an important policy objective in all OECD countries. The chapter on quality of care has been extended to include a set of indicators on the quality of care for chronic conditions.
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 major findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability. An annex provides additional information on the demographic and economic context within which health systems operate, as well as a concise description of key characteristics in health system financing and delivery of services in OECD countries.
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Pharmaceutical expenditure
Spending on pharmaceuticals accounts for a significant proportion of total health spending in OECD countries. Increased consumption of pharmaceuticals due to the diffusion of new drugs and the ageing of populations (see Indicator 4.10 “Pharmaceutical consumption”) has been a major factor contributing to increased pharmaceutical expenditure and thus overall heath expenditure (OECD, 2008d). However, the relationship between pharmaceutical spending and total health spending is a complex one, in that increased expenditure on pharmaceuticals to tackle diseases may reduce the need for costly hospitalisation and intervention now or in the future.
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