ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a method within a method in relation to the field of cross-national studies of health systems. It provides a strategy for choosing the six “contrasting cases” (study countries). But having chosen cases to be compared and settled upon an approach and means of gathering information, one still needs a scheme for highlighting the information to be used in contrasting or comparing the cases. An ideal occupational health and safety (OSH) and OSH-primary health care (PHC) system would include a near infinite number of “elements” or units of concern, depending upon how one decided to categorize and discuss them. Organizational issues overlap with other dimensions, particularly sponsorship and control. If geographic coverage by the PHC services were combined with computerized records, epidemiologic surveillance could be built in. Financing must allow for OSH policy to be pursued and the organizational goals to be fulfilled and must protect the experts’ motivation to serve the workers.
