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Private Health Sector Assessment in Ghana is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. The private health sector in Ghana is a large and important sector in the market for health-related goods and services. However, little has been documented concerning the size and configuration of private providers and their contribution to health sector outcomes. With better information about the size, scope, distribution, and constraints of private actors, Ghana's public policy makers could engage more effectively with the private sector. The scope of the Ghana study involved assessing the role of its private sector in the overall health system; considering the potential of the private sector to play a greater role; and identifying ways to improve the public-private interface to increase equity, access, and efficiency in the health system.

This paper broadly examines the health sector in Kenya, by synthesizing an assessment of the health sector with an analysis of the market. After considering the legal and regulatory framework, the policy enforcement, the human resource capacity, and the financing of health systems, the paper makes recommendations for policy makers.

This volume includes papers related to issues of technology, communication, health disparities and government options in health and health care services. It fills an existing gap by providing a clear sociological overview and focus on these topics. Technology is considered from the perspectives of providing healthcare equity, health disparities and the impact on doctor-patient relationships. The topic of communication is addressed in the format of public health messages and the use of internet chat rooms for discussions about health care services. Government roles and responsibilities are reflected upon in terms of health promotion, marketing and sales of health-related products and improving long-term care programs. Particular mention is made to learning lessons from the experiences and perspectives of other countries. Finally, health disparities are considered in socioeconomic terms, with particular reference to aging, depression, measures of health and healthcare in rural locations.

WHO DECIDES WHICH FACTS ARE TRUE? In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile one study after another failed to find any link between childhood vaccines and autism. Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both sides” of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases. In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America. The Panic Virus is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking medical detective story that explores the limits of rational thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time.

Introduces a vision for the future of health equity and explains practical policy measures for how to achieve it.Health inequity is one of the defining problems of our time. But current efforts to address the problem focus on mitigating the harms of injustice rather than confronting injustice itself. In Equal Care, Seth A. Berkowitz, MD, MPH, offers an innovative vision for the future of health equity by examining the social mechanisms that link injustice to poor health. He also presents practical policies designed to create a system of social relations that ensures equal care for everyone.As Berkowitz illustrates, the project of social democracy works to improve health by bringing relationships of equality to the sites of human cooperation: in civil society, in political processes, and in economic activities. This book synthesizes three elements necessary for such a project—normative justification, mechanistic knowledge, and technical proficiency—into a practical vision of how to create health equity. Drawing from the fields of medicine, social epidemiology, sociology, economics, political science, philosophy, and more, Berkowitz makes clear that health inequity is social failure embodied, and the only true cures are political. Equal Care is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of health equity.

“An essential and comprehensive guide for students and researchers in a range of health care disciplines investigating health services, health care and well-being.”Professor Robert J. Edelmann, Emeritus Professor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology, University of Roehampton, UK“An invaluable resource for students, researchers and practitioners from all health backgrounds and disciplines, who are involved in research to produce a robust evidence-base to inform the development, provision, delivery and evaluation of healthcare services.”Felicity Smith, Professor Emeritus of Pharmacy Practice, UCL School of Pharmacy, UK“The fifth edition of ‘Research Methods in Health'continues to provide an excellent broad based introduction to the subject.”Virginia Berridge, Professor of History and Health Policy, Centre for History in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UKThis bestselling book provides an accessible introduction to the concepts and practicalities of multi-disciplinary research methods in health and health services. The new edition has updated and expanded coverage of:•International examples, terms and approaches•Epidemiology and methods of tracing epidemics•Aging population demography and bio-demography •Evaluation and assessment of health services•Health services research and audit, including data generation•Methods of evaluating patients'perspectives •Measuring quality of life outcomes•Health economics methods and applications•Quantitative and qualitative researchCore processes and methodologies such as social research, mixed methods, literature reviewing and critical appraisal, secondary data analysis and evidence-based practice will be covered in detail. The book also looks at the following key areas of health research:•Health needs•Morbidity and mortality trends and rates•Costing health services•Sampling for survey research•Cross-sectional and longitudinal survey design•Experimental methods and techniques of group assignment•Questionnaire design•Interviewing techniques•Coding and analysis of quantitative data•Methods and analysis of qualitative observational studies•Unstructured interviewingThe book is grounded in the author's career as a researcher on health and health service issues, and the valuable experience this has provided in meeting the challenges of research on people and organisations in real life settings.Research Methods in Health, Fifth Edition is an essential companion for students and researchers of health and health services at all levels, health clinicians and policy-makers with responsibility for applying research findings and judging the soundness of research.Ann Bowling is a sociologist, specialising in research on ageing, research methods, quality of life, public and social health. She was Professor of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton, UK (2012–17), where she is now Visiting Professor. Ann was awarded the Highly Commended book prize for the 4th edition of Research Methods in Health at the 2015 BMA Medical Book Awards.

This book provides an overview of the innovative concepts, methodologies and frameworks that will increase the feasibility of the existing telemedicine system. With the arrival of advanced technologies, telehealth has become a new subject, requiring a different understanding of IT devices and of their use, to fulfill health needs. Different topics are discussed - from the basics of TeleMedicine, to help readers understand the technology from ground up, to details about the infrastructure and communication technologies to offer deeper insights into the technology. The use of IoT and cloud services along with the use of blockchain technology in TeleMedicine are also discussed. Detailed information about the use of machine learning and computer vision techniques for the proper transmission of medical data - keeping in mind the bandwidth of the network - are provided. The book will be a readily accessible source of information for professionals working in the area of information technology as well as for the all those involved in the healthcare environment.

Covid-19 has shown how vulnerable society, our economy, and day-to-day lives are to illness, but despite this we have not yet valued the pivotal role of good health. Our healthcare system is now an illness service with little resilience, importing illness rather than exporting health into communities, not leveraging the digital technology innovations harnessed in other industries. Whose Health Is It, Anyway? outlines why health is truly our most untapped opportunity for prosperity and happiness in the 21st century, individually and jointly as whole nations. Through collectively valuing health - civil society and the private sector - we can radically change the wider health environment which will pay off for all. This book outlines how a 21st century healthcare system should expand the founding principles of the NHS, from illness to a true health service, and encompass a National Care Service. The authors outline the entities and processes that could underpin a new total health system, one that could serve to take us into a happier and more prosperous future.

COVID's Impact on Health and Healthcare Workers highlights the most critical issues in COVID-19's impact on healthcare providers and on hospitals. This includes factors associated with disease severity, hospitalizations and death and the effect on other medical conditions. The book explores changes brought about during the pandemic to primary and specialty care, including the rapid employment of telemedicine and the many innovations in care delivery. Special attention is given to the role of myths and misinformation and its resultant adverse blow to the nation's recovery. COVID's long-range effects, both on previously infected patients and also on the general population, are reviewed. A number of recommendations to best move forward, including with vaccine allocation and preventing further devastation, are outlined.

In this volume, authors explore the interconnected issues of public health and public policy as they relate to queer issues in the Deep South. The book begins with a sustained examination of public health, health disparities, and mental health for LGBTQ people in the South. Next, the issues of public policy and public advocacy, including law enforcement, community advocacy and activism, and public life in the Deep South are taken up. Through the chapters in this text, the peculiarities of public health and public policy for LGBTQ people in the Deep South are explored. However, this volume also points to trends, themes, and dynamics at work in the Deep South that are also implicated in the queer experience in other parts of the U.S. The authors of this text push readers to think deeply about these issues. They clearly highlight the systemic nature of oppression of queer people in the South through institutions of medicine, mental health discourses, the criminal justice system, and public life including Pride and Mardi Gras. Taken together, the authors in this volume call for reform, liberation, and conscientization and queerly envision the future of health and policy in the Deep South.

In Health Matters, contributors from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary traditions address multiple dimensions of health care, such as nursing, midwifery, home care, pharmaceuticals, medical education, and palliative care. Through their explorations, the book poses questions about the role that the forms of expertise associated with evidence-based health care play in shaping how we understand and organize health services. Authors critique instrumental, managerial ways of knowing health care and focus on how such ways of knowing limit our understandings of and responses to health care problems and are linked with the growing commodification, individualization, and privatization of Canadian health services. Working with analytic perspectives such as feminism, Marxist political economy, critical ethnography, science and technology studies, governmentality studies, and institutional ethnography, the volume demonstrates how critical social science perspectives contribute alternative perspectives about what counts as health care problems and how to best to address them.

Provides a diverse, multi-faceted approach to health care evaluation and management The U.S. Health Care System: Origins, Organization and Opportunities provides a comprehensive introduction and resource for understanding healthcare management in the United States. It brings together the many “moving parts” of this large and varied system to provide both a bird's-eye view as well as relevant details of the complex mechanisms at work. By focusing on stakeholders and their interests, this book analyzes the value propositions of the buyers and sellers of healthcare products and services along with the interests of patients. The book begins with a presentation of frameworks for understanding the structure of the healthcare system and its dynamic stakeholder inter-relationships. The chapters that follow each begin with their social and historical origins, so the reader can fully appreciate how that area evolved. The next sections on each topic describe the current environment and opportunities for improvement. Throughout, the learning objectives focus on three areas: frameworks for understanding issues, essential factual knowledge, and resources to keep the reader keep up to date. Healthcare is a rapidly evolving field, due to the regulatory and business environments as well as the advance of science. To keep the content current, online updates are provided at: www.HealthcareInsights.MD. This website also offers a weekday blog of important/interesting news and teaching notes/class discussion suggestions for instructors who use the book as a text. The U.S. Health Care System: Origins, Organization and Opportunities is an ideal textbook for healthcare courses in MBA, MPH, MHA, and public policy/administration programs. In piloting the content, over the past several years the author has successfully used drafts of chapters in his Healthcare Systems course for MBA and MPH students at Northwestern University. The book is also useful for novice or seasoned suppliers, payers and providers who work across the healthcare field and want a wider or deeper understanding of the entire system.

This fully updated and revised 12th edition of the highly acclaimed textbook on health care delivery provides graduate and undergraduate students with a comprehensive survey of health care in the United States ranging in topics from the organization of care, the politics surrounding healthcare in the United States, to population health and vulnerable populations, healthcare costs and value, health care financing, and health information technology. Chapters provide thorough coverage of the rapid changes that are reshaping our system and the extent of our nation's achievement of health care value and the Triple Aim: better health and better care at a lower cost. With an emphasis on population health and public health, this text includes a timely focus on how social and physical environments influence health outcomes. Prominent scholars, practitioners, and educators within public health, population health, health policy, healthcare management, medical care, and nursing present the most up-to-date evidence-based information on social and behavioral determinants of health and health equity, immigrant health, healthcare workforce challenges, preventative medicine, innovative approaches to control health care costs, initiatives to achieve high quality and value-based care, and much more.Designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students of health care management and administration, nursing, and public health, the text addresses all complex core issues surrounding our health care system and health policy, such as the challenges to health care delivery, the organization and politics of care, and comparative health systems. Organized in a readable and accessible format, contributors provide an in-depth and objective appraisal of why and how we organize health care the way we do, the enormous impact of health-related behaviors on the structure, function, and cost of the health care delivery system, and other emerging and recurrent issues in health policy, healthcare management, and public health. The 12th edition features the contributions of such luminaries as former editor Anthony R. Kovner, Michael K. Gusmano, Carolyn M. Clancy, Marc N. Gourevitch, Joanne Spetz, James Morone, Karen DeSalvo, and Christy Harris Lemak, among others. Chapters include audio chapter summaries with discussion of newsworthy topics, learning objectives, discussion questions, case exercises, and new charts and tables with concrete health care data. Included for instructors are an Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint slides, Syllabus, Test Bank, Image Bank, Supplemental e-chapter on a Visual Overview of Health Care Delivery, access to an annual ACA update and health policy changes, extra cases and syllabi specifically for nurses, and a transition guide bridging the 11th and 12th editions.Key Features:Three completely revised chapters on the politics of health care, vulnerable populations, and health information technologyChapter authors with expertise in Health Administration and Management, Public Health, Health Policy, Medical Care and NursingExpanded coverage on population health and population health management, health equity, influences of social determinants on health behavior and outcomes, health education planning, health workforce challenges, national and regional quality improvement initiatives and moreRevised e-Chapters providing a Visual Overview of Health Care Delivery with image bank and Springer Publishing's annual ACA updateAudio podcasts provide summaries for each chapter and provide real-world context of topics featured in the newsNew Appendix on Overview of U.S. Public Health AgenciesAccess to fully searchable eBook, including extra e-chapters and student ancillaries on Springer ConnectFull Instructor Packet including Instructor's Manual, Test Bank, PowerPoint slides, Image Bank, Case Exercises for Nursing Instructors

4-Star Rating, Doody's Medical ReviewsStrategic Planning in Healthcare: An Introduction for Health Professionals is a practical guide to the theory of strategic planning and the principles of strategic management that apply to all organizational settings, including large healthcare networks, small practices, and public health institutions, among many others. This text provides a solid theoretical framework, supplemented with examples and a common case, which is reinforced by hands-on practical student exercises and chapter-specific worksheets. It examines strategy-making issues from the initial assessment of the organization and competitive landscape, through situational analysis of economic incentives, creation of objectives and measurement, formulation of financial and operational strategies, and the development of mission and goals, effectively allowing students to apply concepts at each stage of the planning cycle. Throughout, this book explains different tactics for implementation and evaluation, the principles of integrating evaluation and control, and other factors that affect competitive positioning and performance in health service organizations.This hands-on text incorporates real-world examples and case studies so that the content can be digested easily in undergraduate and graduate courses alike and can be applied to an individual or group project to encourage application and experiential learning. Written by an experienced strategic planner and educator, this foundational textbook prepares public health students, healthcare administration students, and related health professionals to develop their own effective strategic plans that achieve performance excellence.Key Features:Provides a thorough, step-by-step review of the strategic planning process in healthcare organizations with a strong theoretical frameworkDetailed case studies using a fictionalized healthcare organization conclude each chapterIncludes strategic planning chapter-specific worksheets that allow students to develop a quasi-strategic planReal-world sample strategic plans from the healthcare industryAccess to the downloadable ebook and downloadable chapter worksheetsFull Instructor package including an Instructor's Manual, PPTs, and test bank

How efficient is the Chinese healthcare system? Milcent examines the medication market in China against the global picture of healthcare organization, and how public healthcare insurance plans have been implemented in recent years, as well as reforms to tackle hospital inefficiency. Healthcare reforms, demographic changes and an increase in wealth inequity have altered healthcare preferences, which need to be addressed. Significantly, the patient–medical staff relationship is analysed, with new proposals for different lines of communication. Milcent puts forward digital healthcare in China as a tool to solve inefficiency and rising tensions, and generate profit. Where China is leading in the digitalization of healthcare, other countries can learn important lessons. Chinese social models are also put into context with respect to current reforms and experimentation.

Black men are increasingly underrepresented in medical schools and in the medical profession. A diverse workforce is a key attribute of quality healthcare and research suggests that a diverse workforce may help to advance cultural competency and increase access to high-quality health care, especially for underserved populations. Conversely, lack of diversity in the health workforce threatens health care quality and access and contributes to health disparities. In this way, the growing absence of Black men in medicine is especially troubling, because their absence in medicine may have adverse consequences for health care access, quality, and outcomes among Black Americans and Americans overall. To better understand the factors that contribute to the low participation of Black men in the medical profession, facilitate discussion of current strategies used to increase their participation in medical education, and explore new strategies along the educational and professional pipeline that may have potential to increase participation in medicine, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Cobb Institute jointly convened a 2-day workshop in November 2017, in Washington, DC. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

This book discusses fundamental discourses relating to health in Africa arising out of the consequences of endemic diseases in Africa. It identifies, explains and illustrates the contexts, challenges and efforts to combat these diseases. The book provides a unique comparative analysis of African contexts of health, thereby not ignoring the global contexts of health within which Africa exists. It follows a macro-analytic stance about health in Africa framed around significant/pressing issues.'Discourse of disease'is part of a profound sociological discourse of health in Africa, which provides a framework for students, academics and healthcare practitioners to understand the states of health and healthcare in Africa.

The case for evidence and collaboration in pursuit of health equity In this second volume of the Culture of Health series, Advancing Health and Well-Being convenes experts from academia, policy, journalism, and community-based organizations, among other sectors, to examine how data and narrative can catalyze progress toward building a national Culture of Health. Tackling topics such as health inequity, mass incarceration, and climate change, Advancing Health and Well-Being does more than draw lines between cause and effect; its 70+ voices lend context and lived experience to critical conversations that may lack such elements. The result is a work that shows the power and promise of evidence and collaboration. Amid continued interest in population health and well-being, this book offers essential reading for those advancing such efforts, and those seeking an early grounding, in pursuit of a Culture of Health.

It is a societal given, borne out by the facts: the higher one's social status, the better health, and the longer life expectancy. As the situation persists, an important question demands attention, namely whether health care systems contribute to the inequity.Drawing accurate conclusions requires workable theory, reliable data collection instruments, and valid analytical methods.Using one representative country to typify the industrial world, Health Care Utilization in Germany studies its subject in terms of social determinants. This singular volume offers systematic guidelines for research into health care access based on an acclaimed behavioral model of care utilization. Contributors focus on specific social factors, medical conditions, and sectors of care to examine why differences exist, their implications, and how care providers can better match supply with demand. And many of the book's topics, such as obesity, dementia, preventive services, and immigrant health, are of global interest. Included in the coverage: Updating a classic behavioral model of health care access.Insights from qualitative research.The problem of repeated surveys: how comparable are their results?Gender and utilization of health care.Care utilization by dementia patients living at home.Social determinants of utilization of psychotherapy in Germany.A volume certain to spark discussion among researchers across the community, the findings and methods in Health Care Utilization in Germany will be analyzed by health psychologists, public health professionals, and epidemiologists.

Every year, public and private funders spend many billions of dollars on large-scale, complex, multi-national health initiatives. The only way to know whether these initiatives are achieving their objectives is through evaluations that examine the links between program activities and desired outcomes. Investments in such evaluations, which, like the initiatives being evaluated, are carried out in some of the world's most challenging settings, are a relatively new phenomenon. In the last five years, evaluations have been conducted to determine the effects of some of the world's largest and most complex multi-national health initiatives. Evaluation Design for Complex Global Initiatives is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine in January 2014 to explore these recent evaluation experiences and to consider the lessons learned from how these evaluations were designed, carried out, and used. The workshop brought together more than 100 evaluators, researchers in the field of evaluation science, staff involved in implementing large-scale health programs, local stakeholders in the countries where the initiatives are carried out, policy makers involved in the initiatives, representatives of donor organizations, and others to derive lessons learned from past large-scale evaluations and to discuss how to apply these lessons to future evaluations. This report discusses transferable insights gained across the spectrum of choosing the evaluator, framing the evaluation, designing the evaluation, gathering and analyzing data, synthesizing findings and recommendations, and communicating key messages. The report also explores the relative benefits and limitations of different quantitative and qualitative approaches within the mixed methods designs used for these complex and costly evaluations.

Global health is an area for study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. Global mental health is the application of these principles to the domain of mental ill-health. The most striking inequity is that concerning the disparities in provision of care and respect for human rights of people living with mental health problems (MHP) between rich and poor countries. Low and middle income countries (LMIC) are home to over 80% of the global population, but command less than 20% of the share of the mental health resources. The consequent'treatment gap'is in itself a contravention of basic human rights. Even where treatment is provided, far too often this falls far below minimum acceptable standards. Failure to provide basic necessities such as adequate nourishment, clothing, shelter, comfort and privacy, and the administration of unauthorized and unmonitored detention, shackling and chaining are all well documented abuses, described recently as a'failure of humanity'. The emergence of the discipline of global mental health as one of the most dynamic fields of global health underscores the need for this textbook for students of the discipline. Global mental health was cited by the NIMH Director in his 2012 year-ending blog as one of the major advances in mental health in 2012 and by one of the most influential figures in psychiatry and anthropology, Arthur Kleinman, as the exciting future of academic psychiatry (Br J Psychiatry, December 2012). The scope of the book is to cover two major aspects of the field: its scientific foundations and its practice and opens with an original account charting the history of the field from antiquity to its most recent developments. The language and content is geared towards a wide audience of practitioners and students of global mental health, including those who do not have any previous training in a clinical mental health specialty. This textbook, edited by four of the field's most widely acknowledged champions, with 20 chapters authored by over 30 global leaders of the field from diverse institutions and countries, is aimed to be the definitive text of this dynamic new discipline.

Vaccines are among the most safe and effective public health interventions to prevent serious disease and death. Because of the success of vaccines, most Americans today have no firsthand experience with such devastating illnesses as polio or diphtheria. Health care providers who vaccinate young children follow a schedule prepared by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Under the current schedule, children younger than six may receive as many as 24 immunizations by their second birthday. New vaccines undergo rigorous testing prior to receiving FDA approval; however, like all medicines and medical interventions, vaccines carry some risk. Driven largely by concerns about potential side effects, there has been a shift in some parents'attitudes toward the child immunization schedule. The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety identifies research approaches, methodologies, and study designs that could address questions about the safety of the current schedule. This report is the most comprehensive examination of the immunization schedule to date. The IOM authoring committee uncovered no evidence of major safety concerns associated with adherence to the childhood immunization schedule. Should signals arise that there may be need for investigation, however, the report offers a framework for conducting safety research using existing or new data collection systems.

In this book, an international group of philosophers, economists and theologians focus on the relationship between justice, luck and responsibility in health care. Together, they offer a thorough reflection on questions such as: How should we understand justice in health care? Why are health care interests so important that they deserve special protection? How should we value health? What are its functions and do these make it different from other goods? Furthermore, how much equality should there be? Which inequalities in health and health care are unfair and which are simply unfortunate? Which matters of health care belong to the domain of justice, and which to the domain of charity? And to what extent should we allow personal responsibility to play a role in allocating health care services and resources, or in distributing the costs? With this book, the editors meet a double objective. First, they provide a comprehensive philosophical framework for understanding the concepts of justice, luck and responsibility in contemporary health care; and secondly, they explore whether these concepts have practical force to guide normative discussions in specific contexts of health care such as prevention of infectious diseases or in matters of reproductive technology. Particular and extensive attention is paid to issues regarding end-of-life care.

The fear of death may translate into the desire for longevity. However, longevity is a true blessing only if it is coupled with good health. Healthiness, in today's expectation, is not simply a disease free state. Rather, it is very much a state of wellbeing and competence, both physically and socially. While Oriental medicine emphasizes on the promotion of physiological balance and internal balance as an integral requirement for longevity, other cultures also have various sophisticated concepts and orientations. This book successfully collates all the different views and approaches from Austria, Russia, China and Japan in the exploration of Health, Wellbeing, Competence and Aging.

The third edition of Community Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare provides new and more established ways to approach community building and organizing, from collaborating with communities on assessment and issue selection to using the power of coalition building, media advocacy, and social media to enhance the effectiveness of such work. With a strong emphasis on cultural relevance and humility, this collection offers a wealth of case studies in areas ranging from childhood obesity to immigrant worker rights to health care reform. A'tool kit'of appendixes includes guidelines for assessing coalition effectiveness, exercises for critical reflection on our own power and privilege, and training tools such as'policy bingo.'From former organizer and now President Barack Obama to academics and professionals in the fields of public health, social work, urban planning, and community psychology, the book offers a comprehensive vision and on-the-ground examples of the many ways community building and organizing can help us address some of the most intractable health and social problems of our times. Dr. Minkler's course syllabus: Although Dr. Minkler has changed the order of some chapters in the syllabus to accommodate guest speakers and help students prep for the midterm assignment she uses, she arranged the actual book layout in a way that should flow quite naturally if instructors wish to use it in the order in which chapters appear.

Despite advances in detection and treatment, cancer remains a source of pain and distress to patients and of complex challenges to the loved ones caring for them. The trend toward shorter hospital stays in particular has increased the physical, psychological, and financial burden on caregivers, often leading to adverse effects on patients.Cancer Caregiving in the United States illuminates these complex concerns with authoritative detail. This wide-ranging volume provides a comprehensive survey of cancer-related issues, including those affecting the care triad (patients-family members- professionals) and quality of care as well as the numerous physical, emotional, and financial challenges that caregivers may need to confront. Sources of caregiver difficulty at each stage of the disease, from diagnosis to end of life, are explored. Each chapter analyzes its topic in terms of practice, research, education, and policy, providing a wealth of literature reviews, assessment and care models, interventions, and recommendations for future study and practice. Coverage includes:Caregiving issues for cancer patients with long-term, short-term, and intermittent needs.Family caregivers as members of the treatment team.The impact of health disparities on caregivers.Cancer care policy and advocacy.End-of-life issues for cancer caregivers.Legal, financial, and ethical issues. Cancer Caregiving in the United States is a core reference for researchers, professionals/scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in such caregiving fields as clinical psychology, social work, nursing, public health and medicine, social policy, and educational policy.

Occurrence Reporting: Building a Robust Problem Identification and Resolution Process Kenneth Rohde Enhance patient care through effective occurrence reporting You already capture the data. Now use it to make real improvements in your patient care. This new resource by performance improvement expert Kenneth R. Rohde provides practical techniques to help you better analyze your occurrence reporting process, use your data to gain superior insight into why errors occur at your organization, and make improvements that decrease adverse events and enhance patient care. Benefits:Refine and improve your existing occurrence reporting system using a proven six-step approachArm yourself with the right data to become an effective change agent in your organizationDevelop an occurrence reporting process that decreases adverse events and enhances patient careImprove your report screening processEasily identify trends through detailed, efficient analysis methodsOrganize and prioritize your reports through effective codingImplement successful corrective actions through ongoing tracking and evaluationTable of Contents: Chapter 1: Rethinking the Occurrence Reporting Process Where Does Healthcare Go Wrong? Healthcare Is Not the Only Industry That Does Problem Identification and Resolution (PIR) Recommendations for an Ideal Process Chapter 2: The PIR Process Introducing the PIR Process Six Steps in the PIR Process Chapter 3: Reporting Importance of Managing Reporting Volume and Severity Must Dance Together Reporting Thresholds Tips for Normalization Internal vs. External Identification of Issues Two Simple Goals for Reporting Volume Tips for Improving Your Reporting Chapter 4: Screening Screening Is Really Just Prioritization Establishing Screening Criteria Reporting Severity Screening Quality Control Tips for Improving Your Screening Chapter 5: Analysis A Graded Approach to Problem Analysis Individual Analysis for High-Impact Problems and Moderate-Impact Problems Aggregated Analysis for Watch/Trend Problems Aggregated Analysis of Causes: The Big Payoff Five Simple Data Questions Trending and Aggregation Methods A Typical Analysis Session What Do Your Department Managers Really Want to Know? Chapter 6: Coding The Vital Process of Coding Code Based on Data Utilization A Practical Coding Structure Coding the Event vs. Coding the Causes Initial Event Codes Code Cleanup Troubleshooting Tips to Improve Coding Chapter 7: Causing Change: Implementing Corrective Actions Designing the Right Change Getting Stuff Done Dealing With External Commitments Tips to Improve Implementation Chapter 8: Tracking and Evaluation Tracking Actions Evaluation of Actions Evaluating the Effectiveness of the PIR Process Chapter 9: Taking Your PIR Process to the Next Level Looking Toward the Future Look at the 90 occurrence reporting tools included!Aviation Safety Reporting System incident report excerptNational Transportation Safety Board incident report excerptFDA adverse event report sampleIAEA initiation report sampleCPSC incident reportQuick guide to avoiding weaknesses: Build strengths in your PIR processSix steps of the PIR processSelf-assessment questions to evaluate reporting, screening, analysis, coding, implementation, and tracking and evaluationReporting stabilitySelf-reportingReporting by departmentCombine volume and severity to get the best pictureExample: Calculating relative a

This new book identifies the countries in Europe, Eurasia and Russia where health status is the poorest and where the transition to democracy and free market economies may be the most vulnerable. Poor health diminishes society's productive capacity, deteriorates the strength of civil society and tarnishes people's perceptions of the benefits of democracy and free market economies. This book provides an overview of health conditions in the Eurasian states, Russia and Europe, and regions in which Congress might consider in providing health assistance.

Culture and Health offers an overview of different areas of culture and health, building on foundations of medical anthropology and health behavior theory. It shows how to address the challenges of cross-cultural medicine through interdisciplinary cultural-ecological models and personal and institutional developmental approaches to cross-cultural adaptation and competency. The book addresses the perspectives of clinically applied anthropology, trans-cultural psychiatry and the medical ecology, critical medical anthropology and symbolic paradigms as frameworks for enhanced comprehension of health and the medical encounter. Includes cultural case studies, applied vignettes, and self-assessments.

Reliable information on how health service strategies affect the poor is in short supply. In an attempt to redress the imbalance,'Improving Health Service Delivery in Developing Countries'presents evidence on strategies for strengthening health service delivery, based on systematic reviews of the literature, quantitative and qualitative analyses of existing data, and seven country case studies. The authors also explore how changes in coverage of different health services affect each other on the national level. Finally, the authors explain why setting international targets for health services has been not been successful and offer an alternative approach based on a specific country's experience.The book's findings are clear and hopeful: There are many ways to improve health services. Measuring change and using information to guide decisions and inform stakeholders are critically important for successful implementation. Asking difficult questions, using information intelligently, and involving key stakeholders and institutions are central to the “learning and doing” practices that underlie successful health service delivery.

Research Methods in Health is an essential companion for students and researchers of health and health services, health clinicians and policy-makers with responsibility for applying research findings and judging the soundness of research.

Half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, and an estimated 247 million cases led to nearly 881,000 deaths in 2006. The advent of long-lasting insecticidal nets and artemisinin-based combination therapy, plus a revival of support for indoor residual spraying of insecticide, presents a new opportunity for large-scale malaria control. The World malaria report 2008 describes the global distribution of cases and deaths, how WHO-recommended control strategies have been adopted and implemented in endemic countries, sources of funding for malaria control, and recent evidence that prevention and treatment can alleviate the burden of disease.

For decades, the nations of the European Union wrote the book on universal health coverage. Recent economic developments, however, have created problems ranging from widening inequities of care to growing numbers of uninsured - a progression expertly described by Win de Gooijer in Trends in EU Health Care Systems. De Gooijer's dual background as an economist and the CEO of Dutch health care corporations, together with his broad international experience, give him a unique understanding of his subject. He traces world economic currents that have affected quality of and access to health care throughout the EU - trends that took years to develop, but are coming to rapid fruition. Comparative illustrations from Europe and the US show national interests at odds with global ones, as governments transfer social responsibilities to market-driven agencies. Included in his discussion: - Expansion versus reform: a forty-year analysis of Europe's health care systems - Why governments cannot completely control the always-evolving dynamics of health care - Ethical and medical issues arising from the continent's changing politics - Predictions on future directions in EU health care—how much change is possible, how much is necessary. Some may find De Gooijer's ideas startling, and the book is bound to be the subject of controversy. But it is critical reading for health care managers and policymakers, politicians and insurers, advanced students of public health - in short, anyone looking to Europe for the next phase of this far-reaching evolution.'This book is a very important contribution to the debate about the future direction of health policy in Europe. It captures the economic and social trends that underpin health systems with a keen and objective eye and poses some very challenging questions about the future. It will not be a comfortable read for politicians but it is a book that must be read.'BrianEdwards, President of the European Hospital and Health Care Federation (HOPE).'The concept of subsidiarity is prohibitive to a sound discussion of health care systems on a European level. Economic principles dominate the debate and their consequences for health care are hardly understood. The author bridges the gap between economic and health care developments and wrote a book that is essential reading for policy makers and health care managers who really care.'Rob Koning, Past President of the European Health Management Association (EHMA).'The future development of European health policy should not be an exclusively political affair. Hospital managers should also be actively involved, particularly as regards the design and organization of present and future European hospitals. For this purpose, this book is a useful and well-founded manual. It not only clarifies the dangers, but also points to the challenges and possible alternative policy options. Therefore, this book should be in the boardroom of each and every European hospital.'Willy Heuschen, Secretary-General of the European Association of Hospital Managers (EAHM).'Win de Gooijer brings immense clarity to a complex issue. In this book, he draws major and new conclusions, and raises many challenging questions. We hope this book will draw the attention it deserves.'Gérard Vincent, President International Hospital Federation.

Most physical and mental health professionals will agree that their time, space, and funds are generally in short supply, even under optimal conditions. Their participants (clients or patients), too, will admit to similar deficits of time and patience, even with optimal motivation. Overburdened mental health facilities are trying to cope with limited budgets and overworked and underpaid personnel. Low-Cost Approaches to Promote Physical and Mental Health addresses both sides of this shortfall by offering either self-administered or easily administered verbal and non-verbal interventions designed to promote positive health behaviors while requiring little or no outside funding. Editor Luciano L'Abate continues his long tradition of prolific innovations by identifying major changes in today's health care systems and explaining how targeted, prescriptive promotion/prevention strategies can enhance traditional primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions in key behavioral and relational areas:- Nutrition: weight/obesity control, diets, meal planning, vitamins and minerals, herbal supplements- Exercise, expressive movement, relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness- Writing for mental health promotion, from structured protocols/workbooks to less structured focused, expressive, and guided writing, including diaries and autobiographies- Sex, sexuality, affection, intimacy and fear of intimacy- Mother/child bonding as well as couple and family togetherness- Spirituality and forgiveness in dealing with inevitable life hurts and disappointments- Friendships and support groups- Plus leading-edge interventions, including emotional intelligence, animal companionship, and computer technology Reviews of each promotional approach are engaging, effective, and consistent with standard psychological practice for lasting results, either away from or in addition to non-clinical and clinical settings (schools, hospitals, seniorcitizen centers, etc.). L'Abate and his fifty colleagues have designed a future-oriented sourcebook for mental and public health professionals who want to maximize their resources—and those of their participants.

An essential perspective on the latest shifts in roles of the health and welfare professionals throughout Europe

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is the intravenous administration of nutrients carried out in the patient's home. This book analyses current practices in HPN, with a view to inform best practice, covering epidemiology of HPN in regions including the UK and Europe, USA and Australia, its role in the treatment of clinical conditions including gastrointestinal disorders and cancer, ethical and legal aspects and patient quality of life.

The recent Chaoulli Supreme Court decision and health care proposals by Quebec and Alberta have led to renewed debate on how best to restructure the Canadian health care system. This volume offers a timely analysis of access and wait-times, alternative modes of health care delivery, and funding methods from the perspective of evidence-based policy making.

A concise introductory textbook on epidemiology and public health medicine. Updated for the fifth edition to include more information on infectious diseases such as HIV, TB, hepatitis C and food-borne infections.

In the wake of September 11th and recent anthrax events, our nation's bioterrorism response capability has become an imminent priority for policymakers, researchers, public health officials, academia, and the private sector. In a three-day workshop, convened by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Emerging Infections, experts from each of these communities came together to identify, clarify, and prioritize the next steps that need to be taken in order to prepare and strengthen bioterrorism response capabilities. From the discussions, it became clear that of utmost urgency is the need to cast the issue of a response in an appropriate framework in order to attract the attention of Congress and the public in order to garner sufficient and sustainable support for such initiatives. No matter how the issue is cast, numerous workshop participants agreed that there are many gaps in the public health infrastructure and countermeasure capabilities that must be prioritized and addressed in order to assure a rapid and effective response to another bioterrorist attack.

'American Society for Quality, Quality Press'--Cover.

New Horizons in Healthdiscusses how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can integrate research in the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences to better understand the causes of disease as well as interventions that promote health. It outlines a set of research priorities for consideration by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with particular attention to research that can support and complement the work of the National Institutes of Health. By addressing the range of interactions among social settings, behavioral patterns, and important health concerns, it highlights areas of scientific opportunity where significant investment is most likely to improve nationalýand globalýhealth outcomes. These opportunities will apply the knowledge and methods of the behavioral and social sciences to contemporary health needs, and give attention to the chief health concerns of the general public.

This updated second edition of At Risk in America provides a detailed analysis of those key population groups most vulnerable to disease and injury in the United States today-including homeless persons, refugees and immigrants, people living with AIDS, alcohol and substance abusers, high-risk mothers and infants, victims of family or other violence, and the chronically or mentally ill. Lu Ann Aday reviews the major theories and knowledge concerning these at-risk groups and offers new approaches and methodologies for tracing the social determinants and societal influences on health. She examines the specific health needs and risks faced by these groups, their experience in the health care system, the current policies and programs that serve them, and the research and policy initiatives that might be undertaken to help reduce their vulnerability.

Practitioners of all professions recognize the need and importance of collaboration, yet many find it far from easy to achieve. This book provides insights and understandings into the complexities of collaborative relationships so that individuals and groups can take constructive action to detect hindrances and attempt to overcome them. The heightened interest in new ways of working together in health and social care has merited a new edition of this excellent text. Four new contributors have enlarged on the pioneering work of the late Sally Hornby, adding new material on collaborative relationships within organizational hierarchies of health and social care. Key themes such as the fight for resources, the tendency of professionals to behave defensively towards their clients, their departments and their resources, and the use of individual and group coping mechanisms are revisited. The new focus adds reflections on the effects of the professional and organizational contexts to these issues and provides new perspectives on the effectiveness of helping relationships in the year 2000 and beyond.

Although Outcome Measurement has become an important tool in the evaluation of health promotion patient education and other health services interventions, problems remain in locating reliable measurements and scales. This book provides a unique compilation of more than 50 self-administered scales for measuring health behaviors, health status, self-efficacy, and health-care utilization.

State Intervention in Medical Care is a substantial and unique contribution to the ongoing debate about government participation in the delivery of medical care. It offers historical, cross-national comparisons of the performance of medical systems in Britain, France, Sweden, and the United States over most of the last century. J. Rogers Hollingsworth, Jerald Hage, and Robert A. Hanneman examine the impact of state intervention on a number of characteristics: mortality rates, the per capita cost of medical care, the social efficiency of the delivery of services, the introduction and diffusion of innovations, and the equality of the system—including not only regional or spatial equality but also equality in access to medical resources and equality in levels of health across social classes and income groups.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are increasingly recognised as playing a significant role in the health sector in developing countries. This book examines the background to the growth both in the sector and interest in it, the strengths and weaknesses of NGOs and the arguments for and against their use for different aspects of the health sector. It focuses particularly on the relationship between the State and non-governmental organizations and the issues critical to the development of policies towards the sector.