An International Comparison of Health Funding Systems

Abstract

In the last chapter, the different ways in which clinical research has been organized institutionally were presented. In this context, the United States distinguished itself positively from the European countries. Because of several institutional factors it seems likely that the transfer of basic biomedical knowledge into clinical application is more aptly realized in the United States than in the European countries. This does not mean that differentiating tendencies which are present in the development of health research, have been successfully combated and eliminated. Financial strains challenge the existing, favorable institutional arrangements for health research even in the U.S. Rather, what has been achieved in the United States is an institutional order which can at least temporarily counterbalance these tendencies by providing interactive facilities favorable for coordination and communication between scientists and clinicians. The existence of these opportunity structures account for the important role of biomedical-oriented clinical research.