Disposable versus reusable linen: back to the future

Decisions regarding health care practices and technology are never static. As new information becomes available, and internal and external forces shift, new decisions may have to be made. Such is the decision regarding reusable versus disposable linen. Until very recently, reusable linens were not comparable with disposable linen in the quality characteristics that directly impact patient and staff safety and health. Given the current test results on the latest generation of reusable fabrics, it is time to go back to reconsider this decision for the future.     

New issues in long-term care

Employer sponsorship of long-term care programs is a growing trend, one that is likely to continue, no matter what direction national health care reform takes.     

Lifting physical and institutional barriers to development on a small‐scale irrigation scheme

If it is accepted that both the system and the individual can act as barriers to development at the micro‐level, development policy could be aimed at identifying the major causes and sources of inefficiency and removing the existing barriers to the achievement of efficiency.

In this article the major barriers to system efficiency are identified as being physical and institutional, and they include the physical structure of irrigation schemes, the land tenure system and the marketing structure. A theoretical discussion of each of these factors is used to propose more specific strategies for micro‐level rural development.