Publisher's Synopsis
The level of high technology in medicine is constantly increasing, and in consequence the need for assessment of this technology is growing. This book takes as an example the technique of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), which is likely to become the most important method of treatment for kidney stones in the near future, and subjects it to health technology assessment as part of a European Community Project aimed at setting up a general health technology assessment research programme within the EEC. The book first considers empirical research related to treatment methods, and examines regional variations within countries, as well as variations over a period of time. Technology assessment is then introduced and applied to ESWL, leading to suggestions for future research and for a second generation of ESWL machines.;Urologists; health planners; technology assessment researchers; health services researchers.