ABSTRACT

The establishment of long-tenn mechanical ventilation (LTMV) provides important insights about the organization and development of systems of health care and social service delivery in the community (1,2). The evaluation of LTMV programs and systems in different nations, and the analysis of political, cultural, social, and economic influences on their evolution provide an understanding of how communities can identify and meet growing health care needs of patients with complex chronic health conditions that generate catastrophic health care and social costs (3,4).