The integration of medical and elderly care in community-based elderly care constitutes an organic component of diversified elderly care service system in China. As an innovative health-oriented elderly care model, it played a significant role in addressing rapid population aging, and safeguarding the rights of older adults. However, with the deepening of pilot programs and practical implementation of integrated medical and elderly care communities, various shortcomings and challenges have gradually emerged. Through analysis of three typical forms of community-based integrated medical and elderly care services, this study identified deficiencies and dilemmas in four key aspects: funding support, regulatory frameworks, professional team development, and information technology capabilities. Building on these findings, this article proposed optimization pathways from four dimensions: improving regulatory systems, strengthening talent cultivation, enhancing financial security mechanisms, and advancing smart service capabilities. These recommendations aim to promote high-quality development of integrated medical and elderly care services in community settings.
The construction of regional medical centers plays a strong role in promoting the vertical flow of high-quality medical resources and improving the quality of primary healthcare services. Under the strategic backdrop of high-quality development in public hospitals, Party building should play a leading role. This study, starting from the practical experience of building the eastern Chongming regional medical center, elaborated on the practical path and effectiveness of Party building in leading to regional medical collaboration and development. In this medical center, a localized '12345' collaborative development model was built that emphasized the synergistic effects of multiple stakeholders, such as the district health commission, district finance, local township governments, and various medical institutions. The aim is to enhance the service capabilities of medical institutions within the region by practicing the concept of an integrated regional healthcare service system. Leveraging the advantages of the lead hospital, this article explored the “five-aspect” integration of Party building, diagnosis and treatment, personnel, information, and management, thus establishing a new development pattern for the eastern Chongming regional medical center, and achieving high-quality medical development within the region.
Objective To evaluate the suitability of elderly care and wellness in Shandong Province, thus providing references for optimizing the allocation of elderly care resources. Methods An evaluation index system for the suitability of elderly care and wellness was established. The entropy weight method was used to assign weights to each value in the index system. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method was employed to calculate and sort the comprehensive score of the suitability of elderly care and wellness in different cities of Shandong Province. Results From 2019 to 2022, there were significant differences in the suitability of elderly care and wellness among cities in Shandong Province. Among them, Jinan City and Qingdao City had the highest comprehensive scores, Zibo City, Dongying City, and Weihai City graded high, while Dezhou, Liaocheng City and Heze City had relatively low comprehensive scores. From a time series perspective, the comprehensive score of elderly care and wellness suitability in various cities showed a stable trend, with some cities experiencing slight fluctuations. From a spatial distribution perspective, the suitability for elderly care and wellness in the central Shandong and Shandong Peninsula regions was relatively high, while it was relatively low in the southern and western Shandong regions. Conclusion There are significant differences in the suitability of elderly care and wellness among different regions in Shandong Province. It is necessary to optimize the allocation of resources and improve the quality of elderly care and wellness services.
Objective To explore the logical relationships among the three factors of "law, reason, and human affection" in management practices under the context of Chinese civilization. Methods Based on a novel theoretical framework, this study positioned the ethical (reason) weight logic as the foundation of rules (law), and integrated humanistic aspects such as empathy and social care (human affection) as the cultural and civilizational characteristics of ethics. By incorporating Confucian doctrines and Chinese civilization, a culturally rooted "law-reason-human affection" analytical model was constructed and applied to interpret real- world healthcare scenarios. Comparative analysis of the origins of Chinese and Western management theories, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence in modern civilization on the interplay of "law, reason, and human affection" in management, was conducted. Results Rather than a contradictory in management practices, the three factors of "law, reason, and human affection" are mutually reinforcing, supportive, and dynamically adjusted. Infused with Chinese ethical and humanistic values, the rigidity of rules and the rationality of technology gained nourishment from human sensibility and cultural constraints, ensuring that people remain the dominant force in organizational development and effective management. Conclusion The logic of "law, reason, and human affection" in management preserves cultural rootedness, while offering new interpretive approaches for organizational management.
Objective To scientifically evaluate the operation status of clinical departments, and to guide the enhancement of operation effectiveness, thus providing theoretical and practical basis for improving the level of fine operation and management of hospitals and promoting the high-quality development of public hospitals. Methods A clinical department operation evaluation index system was constructed and used to perform a systematic evaluation and assessment of operation in 44 departments of a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen City. Targeted guidance was given according to the evaluation results. Results After a year of continuous monitoring and operational guidance, the hospital's operational indicators, such as workload, medical quality and business income have been significantly improved. Meanwhile, the department's awareness of operational management and the hospital's level of fine management have been significantly elevated. Conclusion The results of empirical application show that the constructed index system can comprehensively and objectively reflect the current situation of departmental operation, and provide effective tool support for hospital operational management.
Objective To systematically propose a theoretical framework and practical paths for the high-quality development of key disciplines in public traditional Chinese medicine institutions driven by the new quality productivity, thus providing exemplary solutions for the modernization transformation of traditional Chinese medicine and the implementation of the Healthy China strategy. Methods Taking the Sichuan Integrative Medicine Hospital as the research subject, a trinity strategy of "management innovation, resource reorganization, and talent upgrading" was implemented. Focusing on theoretical framework optimization, practical path validation, and discipline system enhancement, the transformation and breakthrough methods for high-quality development of key disciplines, and shifting from traditional empirical models to a modern collaborative development model integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine were explored. Results Practice demonstrated that under the empowerment of new quality productive forces, significant achievements have been made in the high-quality development of key disciplines in public traditional Chinese medicine institutions. These included structural leaps in the theoretical system of integrated Chinese and Western medicine collaboration, systematic optimization of technological applications, preventive transformation of diagnosis and treatment services, integrated breakthroughs in medical-industry-academia-research collaboration, and precise cultivation of talent ecosystems. Conclusion New quality productivity addresses bottleneck issues, such as disciplinary homogenization, achievement transformation barriers, and inefficient resource utilization through systematic strategies. Continuous optimizations of dynamic adaptation mechanisms are needed. In the future, continuous deepening of development ideas is required to provide a sustainable demonstration path for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.
Objective To quantitatively assess various policies on the traditional Chinese characteristic development, and to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of existing policies, thus providing corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for the development of traditional Chinese medicine characteristics in China. Methods Initiated with the release of the State Council's Notice on Implementing the Outline of Strategic Plan for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development (2016-2030), a total of 44 policies related to traditional Chinese medicine from 2015 to 2024 were analyzed based on the three-dimensional framework of "policy tool-process-intensity" for developing the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine via a content analysis method. A comprehensive cross-dimensional and multi-dimensional analysis on relevant policies concerning the development of traditional Chinese medicine characteristics was performed. Results The 44 policy documents were classified into the supply type 32.4% (83/256), environmental type 48.8% (125/256), and demand type 18.7% (48/256) based on the policy tools. Overall, the use of policy tools had a certain bias, showing an imbalance in the policy sub- tools. Conclusion It is necessary to further optimize resource allocation by improving the combination of policy tools, establish a unified framework to enhance policy coordination, and strengthen policies specifically tailored towards promoting unique features of traditional Chinese medicine through top-level design improvements and enhancing legal frameworks.
Objective To investigate and analyze the talent structure and development status of traditional Chinese medicine in tertiary traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in Shandong Province, and to identify problems and deficiencies, propose countermeasures and suggestions, thus providing references for policy formulation and hospital management. Methods A multi-level sampling method was used to select 450 participants from 10 tertiary traditional Chinese medicine hospitals for a questionnaire survey. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 software. Results The main age group was 35-44 years old, with a higher proportion of traditional Chinese medicine talents in intermediate health professional technical positions, master's degrees, and 10-19 years of work experience. The research projects led or participated by traditional Chinese medicine talents mainly focused on topics below the city level, and the results were mainly published in journal articles. Continuing education and institutional education were the main ways to cultivate talents in traditional Chinese medicine. Conclusion The overall structure of traditional Chinese medicine talent is reasonable, but improvements should be made on the construction of the traditional Chinese medicine talent team and scientific research ability. Training methods are not innovative enough. It is suggested to strengthen the planning and management of the construction of traditional Chinese medicine talent team, explore the construction of new models for talent cultivation, build a high-level talent development platform, and improve the talent incentive and guarantee mechanism.
Objective This study aims to develop an evaluation indicator system for the health literacy-sensitive communication in traditional Chinese medicine for nurse-patient interactions, thus more effectively assessing the nurse-patient communication quality in the Chinese medicine nursing practice. Methods A modified three-round Delphi method with expert consensus validation was employed to finalize the indicator selection, and the Precedence Chart method was used to assign weights to each indicator. Results The expert response rate for the three rounds of the Delphi method was 100%, with authority coefficients of 0.966, 0.956, and 0.974, respectively (all > 0.700). In terms of expert consensus, Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Kendall's W) was 0.130, 0.175, and 0.131 for the primary indicators, and 0.143, 0.137, and 0.105 for the secondary indicators. Expert ratings were significantly consistent across all rounds (P<0.05). All demonstrated significant consistency. The final health literacy-sensitive communication in traditional Chinese medicine for nurse-patient interactions evaluation indicator system included 3 primary indicators (communication skills, information sharing, and humanistic support) and 16 secondary indicators. Weight allocation prioritized communication skills (55.6%), followed by information sharing and humanistic support (both 22.2%). Conclusion The health literacy-sensitive communication in traditional Chinese medicine for nurse-patient interactions evaluation indicator system provides a patient-centered, health literacy-adaptive framework to objectively evaluate communication quality in Chinese medicine nursing. This indicator system reflects the importance of communication skills, information sharing, and humanistic support in the process of traditional Chinese medicine nursing operations.
Objective To compare the outcome of medical equity stimulated by different telemedicine application models, thus providing references for improving the efficiency of medical resource utilization and medical quality, and promoting the high-quality construction of telemedicine. Methods Two telemedicine application modes, B2B and B2C, were identified. Through expert interviews and hierarchical analysis methods, materials collection and weight calculation were conducted to determine the role of the B2B and B2C models in promoting medical equity. Results This study found that the B2B model was slightly better than the B2C model in promoting the overall equity in healthcare. In particular, the B2B model had a comparative advantage in promoting equity in utilization of inpatient services and equity in quality of care, while the B2C model had a significant advantage in promoting equity in utilization of outpatient services and ease of physician selection. Conclusion In view of the medical equity differences of different application modes, this study concluded that telemedicine should continue to enrich the service application scenarios under different modes, improve utilization efficiency by integrating the construction of B2B and B2C modes, and enhance the utilization rate of telemedicine by utilizing healthcare insurance and publicity.
bjective To explore the application effect of the Supply Processing and Distribution (SPD) in the management of medical consumables in public hospitals, and to provide practical experience and theoretical basis for enhancing hospital management levels. Methods Taking a public hospital where a SPD system was adopted to the refined management of medical consumables as the research subject, this study analyzed its application practices in the planned procurement, inventory management, and distribution, as well as the achievements after upgrading the SPD system. A combination of case study and data analysis was used in the present study. Results After applying the SPD, there have been remarkable improvements in the refined management of medical consumables in the public hospital. In the planned procurement stage, scientific replenishment has been realized, and procurement efficiency has improved. Inventory management has become more refined and intelligent, and the efficiency of the operating room has increased. The distribution process has been optimized, and "one item, one code" management for high-value consumables has been achieved. After upgrading the SPD system, functions such as mobile applications, development of centralized procurement orders, unique device identification (UDI) application, and improved reports have been added. However, issues such as untimely distribution, difficulty in inventory control, and delayed data updates still existed. Conclusion The SPD system benefits the storage management of medical consumables in public hospitals and promotes the modernization of hospital material management. Nevertheless, measures such as strengthening inventory monitoring, introducing advanced forecasting models, and optimizing data update mechanisms are needed to further improve it. In the future, it is expected to integrate more resources and create an efficient supply-chain ecosystem.
Objective To analyze the medical and health resources in Hebei Province from 2019 to 2022, thus providing references for further improving the efficiency of health resource allocation in Hebei Province. Methods The number of beds per 1,000 people, the number of medical institutions and the number of health technicians were selected as the input indicators, and the number of outpatient visits and the number of hospital discharges were used as the output indicators. The efficiency of health resource allocation in Hebei Province from both dynamic and static perspectives was analyzed using the BCC model and Malmquist index model in data envelopment analysis (DEA). Results In 2022, the mean comprehensive efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of health resource allocation in Hebei Province were 0.950, 0.992 and 0.957, respectively. Four cities in Hebei Province were in the relatively effective state of DEA, and most of them were in the stage of increasing and decreasing scale effect. From 2019 to 2022, the geometric mean of total factor productivity was 0.922, and the total factor productivity of all cities was less than 1, indicating a downward trend in the utilization efficiency of health resources. Conclusion The overall efficiency level of health resource allocation in Hebei Province is high, but there is still a certain gap between cities, and some cities have input redundancy, insufficient output, and insufficient technological progress that inhibit the development of total factor production.
Objective To optimize the service pathways for breast cancer patients and to improve the healthcare experience. Methods Health needs of breast cancer patients were investigated by questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. Using the Kano model, the attributes of quality needs and target values were determined to construct the House of Quality. A “four-aspect” holistic care service program for breast cancer patients was proposed and implemented. Results Breast cancer patients had significantly higher mastery rate of rehabilitation knowledge (t=-10.089, P<0.001), more positive affect (t=-4.582, P<0.001), fewer negative affect(t=4.192, P<0.001, higher sense meaning in life (t=-2.501, P=0.018), and improved level of social support (t=-2.768, P=0.010). Conclusion The "four-aspect" holistic health service program can effectively optimize the quality of humanistic services for breast cancer patients and improve the medical experience.
Objective To construct a closed-loop management for the safety of pharmacy intravenous admixture services (PIVAS) via the informatization method, thus solving high error rates and poor information transmission caused by traditional configuration processes relying on manual operations, and improving management efficiency and medication safety. Methods Taking the close-loop management for the safety of PIVAS in our hospital as the research subject, a full-process barcode identification system along with Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) were built and introduced to assist in diagnosis and treatment, thus achieving the goal of a traceable management of the entire process of intravenous drugs from medical order prescription to configuration, distribution and execution. Risk management at key nodes in the intravenous drug configuration process was implemented to ensure the accuracy and safety of drug distribution. Results The closed-loop management of the safety of PIVAS significantly improved the efficacy and safety of intravenous drug configuration, and the traceability of all links. It also effectively reduced human operation errors and improved the overall quality and level of medical services. Conclusion An in-depth practice of the informatization method in our hospital greatly improves the efficiency of hospital management and the safety of medication, and promotes the improvement of informatization construction and drug safety management system, laying a solid foundation for the continuous improvement of medical quality and patient safety.
Medical consumables play an important role in hospital diagnosis and treatment, and their reasonable classification mode is related to the efficiency of medical services and management. This study explored the practical application of the national medical insurance medical consumables coding in the classification of medical consumables. Additionally, we explored the practical significance of this classification model in the selection and control of medical consumables, procurement price control, procurement management, fee determination, cost control and analysis, classification standardization, and classification informatization in the actual application of tertiary public hospitals. It also pointed out the problems and solutions in practical application. This study aims to provide references for optimizing the classification management of medical consumables in hospitals.
Objective To explore the application effect of quality control circle in improving the prescription qualification rate of Class II psychotropic drugs in the psychology department. Methods With the theme of "Prescription Qualification Rate of Class II Psychotropic Drugs in the Psychology Department", the quality control activities were carried out according to the Plan-Do-Check- Act (PDCA) cycle mode. All prescriptions of Class II psychotropic drugs issued by the Department of Psychology from October 2023 to December 2023 (4,150 prescriptions, before the implementation of the quality control circle activity) and those issued from April to June 2024 (4,388 prescriptions, after the implementation of the quality control circle activity) were selected to compare the changes in the prescription qualification rate of Class II psychotropic drugs in the psychology department. The effectiveness of the activity was evaluated. Results After the implementation of the quality control circle, the prescription qualification rate of Class II psychotropic drugs in the psychology department significantly increased from 84.43% to 96.22% (P<0.01). The target achievement rate was 105.55%, with an improvement of 13.96%. Conclusion Through the quality control circle activity, the prescription qualification rate of Class II psychotropic drugs in the psychology department can be effectively improved. Meanwhile, the medication of physicians can be standardized to ensure the safety of patients.
Objective To elevate the efficacy of multi-disciplinary treatment (MDT) of tumors based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle in a hospital. Methods Patients with malignant tumors treated in our hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were selected as the study objects. The number of MDT prior to the anti-tumor treatment was calculated. Execution indicators of MDT before and after the implementation of the PDCA cycle-based MDT of tumors were compared, including the number of diseases discussed, the number of discussions, the number of discussion cases, the average monthly discussion number, the average monthly discussion cases, the rate of attendance, the rate of MDT implementation before treatment, and patient satisfaction. Results After the implementation of the PDCA cycle-based MDT of tumors, the number of diseases discussed, the number of discussions, the number of discussion cases, the average monthly discussion number, the average monthly discussion cases, the rate of attendance, the rate of MDT implementation before treatment, and patient satisfaction in our hospital were significantly improved. Conclusion The application of PDCA cycle-based MDT of tumors is conducive to promote the management and development of MDT diagnosis and treatment mode while saving energy and increasing the efficiency.
This article discussed the practice and effectiveness of a compact urban medical group in the construction process. Guided by the optimized service process in the lead hospital, a series of measures were conducted, such as building referral and consultation channels, promoting the sinking of high-quality resources, emphasizing educational cultivation, and establishing a quality control system for grassroots healthcare institutions. These measures greatly improve the service capability, efficiency of resource sinking, service continuity, and brand influence of the medical group. Corresponding thoughts and suggestions based on the conpact mode of urban medical groups were proposed, in order to provide scientific references for the construction of urban medical groups.
As an important part of hospital culture construction, the construction of integrity culture brand plays a crucial role in shaping the hospital's image, improving the competitiveness and medical experience, and promoting the healthy development of the hospital. Taking Wenzhou Central Hospital as an example, this study explored a set of integrity brand construction system based on the current situation of the hospital, and carried out specific practices through building the hierarchy and integrity of the brand, thus providing theoretical basis and practical guidance for the construction of integrity culture brand in public hospitals.
The employment of health professional and technical titles has always been an important topic in hospital management. The evaluation and employment criteria for health professional and technical titles provide a clear direction for the professional development of medical staff, which is conducive to them to improve the abilities and levels according to the criteria and thus enhance their enterprising spirit. A county-level hospital has explored the establishment and improvement of a quantitative scoring and selection system for the employment of health professional and technical titles, and strived to give full play to the "baton" role of position employment. It closely integrated position employment with elements like department management, performance appraisal, and professional conduct evaluation, aiming to solve the common problem of "emphasizing scientific research while neglecting clinical practice" in the employment of professional titles in county-level hospitals. By summarizing the practical work of the professional and technical title position employment in hospitals, this article explored the core elements of establishing a quantitative scoring index system for position employment, and put forward development suggestions for it from the aspects of refining the quantitative scoring rules, emphasizing dynamic process management, and involvement of it in the management of "Major Issues of Policy-making, important cadres' appointment and removal, major project arrangements, and large - scale capital use".
Construction of a secondary warehouse management for medical consumables in public hospitals is an inevitable requirement for achieving the goal of high-quality development. This article analyzed the problems existing in the management of the secondary warehouse through the fishbone diagram, and optimized and improved the management process of the secondary warehouse of medical consumables. According to the 5S management of consumable labels, ABC classification method was adopted to reduce inventory and reduce capital occupation, reference to the all-directional (OEC) management mode to improve the internal control closed-loop, establish a standardized process to reduce the manual delivery rate, and set up automatic replenishment using the information technology to replace the traditional manual application of consumables, so as to establish a scientific and efficient secondary warehouse management system. The system made the application, warehousing, Ex-warehouse, use, charging, verification, traceability and other related processes of medical consumables rigorous and orderly, thus releasing inventory space, avoiding expired waste, eliminating billing errors and omissions,reducing manual outbound, ensuring charging compliance, and effectively promoting the high-quality development of hospitals.
Objective To assess the effectiveness of the pilot work on the integration of chronic disease treatment and prevention in primary medical institutions in China, and to summarize the practical experience and existing problems, thus proposing policy recommendations. Methods Through key informant interviews, questionnaire surveys and expert group discussions, quantitative data processing in Excel and qualitative analysis in ATLAS.ti software, the effectiveness of an integration of chronic disease treatment and prevention in three primary care pilot areas (Taiyuan, Shenzhen and Chongqing) was compared with that in non-pilot areas (Datong and Dongguan). Results Based on the guidelines and trainings developed by the National Primary Hypertension and Diabetes Prevention and Management Office, the primary diagnosis and treatment capacity was significantly improved. The integration of chronic disease treatment and prevention in each region has achieved some success. However, challenges included brain drain, siphoning effect of tertiary hospitals and data barriers. The overall satisfaction rate of patients with chronic diseases towards the integration of medical treatment and prevention work in primary healthcare institutions reached 84.4%. Conclusion The integration of chronic disease treatment and prevention effectively improves the quality of chronic disease management through incentive mechanism optimization, information interconnection and family doctor team building. It is recommended to improve the symbiotic environment of policies and regulations, strengthen the grassroots team building, refine the assessment system of service quality, establish a scientific and efficient performance evaluation and economic incentive mechanism, set up a special fund pool, tilt the payment of chronic disease health insurance to the grassroots, and promote the construction of a close-knit healthcare community and grassroots informatization.
To build a hypertension management model with Chinese characteristics, thus providing references for finally forming a long-term effective management system for hypertension. Through literature review, summarizing experience in hypertension management at home and abroad, and keeping a foothold for practice and previous research basis of hypertension management in China, we propose that grassroots healthcare institutions are the main force of hypertension management in our country. This article proposed a "five-in-one" comprehensive management model of traditional Chinese and Western medicine at the grassroots level, that is, hypertension group management based on social public health services; hypertension hierarchical management with medical communities as the link; hypertension remote management supported by "Internet + medical health"; hypertension traditional Chinese medicine management guided by "dialectical treatment" and hypertension self-management driven by family participation.
In recent years, the "12345 Hotline" has become a primary channel for citizens to voice their demands to healthcare institutions. To further enhance the management of primary healthcare services and to improve public satisfaction with complaint resolution, a district in Beijing analyzed complaint records and follow-up satisfaction surveys related to primary healthcare institutions from March to December 2023. The study revealed that citizens' main concerns centered on service quality and attitude, medical procedures, service capacity, and pharmaceutical services. Taking responses, the district implemented targeted improvement measures that significantly elevated the quality and efficiency of primary healthcare services. Practical experience has demonstrated that sustained optimization in service quality and attitude, medical service capacity, healthcare procedures and environments, and pharmaceutical services is essential to meet public health needs and advance high-quality development in healthcare.
Objective To summarize the corresponding measures and specific outcomes of shortening waiting time in public hospitals in previous studies under the context of the state's promotion of continuous high-quality development of public hospitals, thus providing references for hospitals to optimize the treatment process. Methods Articles reporting measures of shortening waiting time in public hospitals published from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2024 were searched in the CNKI, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform and VIP databases using the keywords "waiting time", and "outpatient process optimization". Results A total of 23 articles were included in this study, involving 16 general hospitals, 5 specialty hospitals and 2 other hospitals. The upgrade of information systems was the main measure taken by hospitals to shorten the waiting time for outpatient consultations, which was reported in 13 (56.5%) hospitals. The evaluation indicators for the implementation effect primarily included patient waiting times during visits and patient satisfaction. Following each intervention, patient waiting times decreased by 9.1% to 94.5%, while patient satisfaction increased by 2.4% to 29.7%. Conclusion Informatization upgrading and various management methods are current approaches to effectively optimize the outpatient process to reduce patients' waiting time. On this basis, the development of smart hospitals can be promoted by integrating artificial intelligence and big data technologies, providing all-round support and services for patients throughout the entire diagnosis and treatment cycle, thus significantly enhancing patients' medical experience and satisfaction.
In this article, 12 commonly used medical quality improvement tools were extensively collected, and sorted out and compared for their application and efficacy in clinical settings, with the aim of ensuring the health and safety of patients, promoting continuous improvement and innovation within medical institutions, and achieving continuous improvement of medical service quality. This article aims to accurately evaluate patient conditions and formulate more accurate treatment plans through a rational use of these tools, thus maximizing the treatment effect and patient satisfaction.
