It is rightly argued in the literature that the patient is the basis and fundamental objective of the functioning of any health care system. When considering the issue of equal access to services, their quality, cost-effectiveness or optimising the way services are organised and delivered, the patient is always at the centre of these considerations. This book is a collection of eighteen texts prepared by both practitioners and theoreticians, devoted to a variety of issues, but of which the position of the patient in the health care system is the main axis of consideration.
I hope that this monograph will be helpful in the analysis of health care issues. The addressees of the publication are professionals in the health care sector, as well as anyone interested in the practical application of the institutions of the health care system.