This chapter deals with the introduction of electronic procurement in the public healthcare domain. After a brief discussion on the healthcare spending characteristics and on the suitability of e-procurement tools in the public sector, the long-lasting experience of e-procurement implementation promoted by an Italian Local Healthcare Public Agency is described. This initiative included some …
We reviewed almost 500 research articles on obesity and its relation to mortality and morbidity, focusing primarily on papers published from January 1980 to June 2009. There is substantial evidence that obesity is a worldwide epidemic and that it has a significant negative impact on health, mortality and related costs. Overweight and obesity are associated with increased prevalence of diabetes,…