Electronic communications are already revolutionizing the delivery of health care in homes and communities. The medium will have increasing impact on the delivery of health care in response to the pressure to use limited resources cost-effectively. To date much of telematics in health care has focused on hospital-based bio-medicine. In this book a case is made for reorientation of telematic activity towards the use of "low tech" (social) technologies supported by "Health for All" philosophies. This book uses several case studies of pilot schemes to illustrate how the models can be applied in a variety of settings. Experience of telematics in America, Canada, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and Wales is shared for an international readership of innovators in health care management.

Through a biophysical approach, Electromagnetic Fields in Biology and Medicine provides state-of-the-art knowledge on both the biological and therapeutic effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs). The reader is guided through explanations of general problems related to the benefits and hazards of EMFs, step-by-step engineering processes, and basic results obtained from laboratory and clinical trials. Basic biological mechanisms reviewed by several authors lead to an understanding of the effects of EMFs on microcirculation as well as on immune and anti-inflammatory responses. Based upon investigational mechanisms for achieving potential health benefits, various EMF medical applications used around the world are presented. These include the frequent use of EMFs in wound healing and cartilage/bone repair as well as use of EMFs in pain control and inhibition of cancer growth. Final chapters cover the potential of using the novel biophysical methods of electroporation and nanoelectroporation in electrochemotherapy, gene therapy, and nonthermal ablation. Also covered is the treatment of tendon injuries in animals and humans. This book is an invaluable tool for scientists, clinicians, and medical and engineering students.

Offering broad coverage of the basic, clinical and curative aspects of photomedicine, this reference reflects the recent expansion of knowledge on the effects of light on normal skin as well as photosensitivity disorders and the use of light in treating various diseases and conditions.;The book demonstrates how light acts as a therapeutic agent by means such as phototherapy, photochemotherapy, extracorporeal photopheresis, and the use of lasers in photomedicine and photodynamic therapy.;Providing a detailed introduction to the subject, Clinical Photomedicine: discusses the fundamental principles of photomedicine such as skin optics, light sources, and pharmacology; explicates the acute and chronic effects of light on normal skin, including sunburn reaction, photoaging, and skin cancer; considers photoimmunology; examines clinical photosensitivity diseases as well as topical and systemic photoprotection; and much more.;With over 1300 literature citations, Clinical Photomedicine is designed as a resource for dermatologists and photobiologists, as well as residents and fellows in these disciplines.

Nanostructured materials with multiple components and complex structures are the current focus of research and are expected to develop further for material designs in many applications in electrochemical, colloidal, medical, pharmaceutical, and several other fields. This book discusses complex nanostructured systems exemplified by nanoporous silicates, spontaneously formed gels from silica-nanocolloidal solutions, and related systems, and examines them using molecular dynamics simulations. Nanoporous materials, nanocolloidal systems, and gels are useful in many applications and can be used in electric devices and storage, and for gas, ion, and drug delivery. The book gives an overview of the history, current status, and frontiers of the field. It also discusses the fundamental aspects related to the common behaviors of some of these systems and common analytical methods to treat them.

This book is concerned primarily with operative endoscopy utilizing lasers, presenting proved and future endoscopic applications of lasers in medicine. It includes new concepts of cancer therapy, such as photodynamic therapy, because of the laser's endoscopic application.

Health Information Exchange: Navigating and Managing a Network of Health Information Systems, Second Edition, now fully updated, is a practical guide on how to understand, manage and make use of a health information exchange infrastructure, which moves patient-centered information within the health care system. The book informs and guides the development of new infrastructures as well as the management of existing and expanding infrastructures across the globe. Sections explore the reasons for the health information exchange (HIE) infrastructures, how to manage them, examines the key drivers of HIE, and barriers to their widespread use. In addition, the book explains the underlying technologies and methods for conducting HIE across communities as well as nations. Finally, the book explains the principles of governing an organization that chiefly moves protected health information around. The text unravels the complexities of HIE and provides guidance for those who need to access HIE data and support operations.

This book provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis of discrete data such as count and binary data in the longitudinal setup. Unlike the existing books, this book uses a class of auto-correlation structures to model the longitudinal correlations for the repeated discrete data that accommodates all possible Gaussian type auto-correlation models as special cases including the equi-correlation models. This new dynamic modelling approach is utilized to develop theoretically sound inference techniques such as the generalized quasi-likelihood (GQL) technique for consistent and efficient estimation of the underlying regression effects involved in the model, whereas the existing 'working' correlations based GEE (generalized
estimating equations) approach has serious theoretical limitations both for consistent and efficient estimation, and the existing random effects based correlations approach is not suitable to model the longitudinal correlations. The book has exploited the random effects carefully only to model the correlations of the familial data. Subsequently, this book has modelled the correlations of the longitudinal data collected from the members of a large number of independent families by using the class of auto-correlation structures conditional on the random effects. The book also provides models and inferences for discrete longitudinal data in the adaptive clinical trial set up.
The book is mathematically rigorous and provides details for the development of estimation approaches under selected familial and longitudinal models. Further, while the book provides special cares for mathematics behind the correlation models, it also presents the
illustrations of the statistical analysis of various real life data.
This book will be of interest to the researchers including graduate students in biostatistics and econometrics, among other applied statistics research areas. Brajendra Sutradhar is a University Research Professor at Memorial University in St. John's, Canada. He is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute and a fellow of the American Statistical Association. He has published about 110 papers in statistics journals in the area of multivariate analysis, time series analysis including forecasting, sampling, survival analysis for correlated failure times, robust inferences in generalized linear mixed models with outliers, and generalized linear longitudinal mixed models with bio-statistical and econometric applications. He has served as an associate editor for six years for Canadian Journal of Statistics and for four years for the Journal of Environmental and Ecological Statistics. He has served for 3 years as a member of the advisory committee on statistical methods in Statistics Canada. Professor Sutradhar was awarded 2007 distinguished service award of Statistics Society of Canada for his many years of services to the
society including his special services for society's annual meetings.

The 9th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (iCBBE 2015) was held on September 18-20, 2015, Shanghai, China. This proceedings volume assembles papers from various professionals engaged in the fields of Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. The conference had special sessions on biomedical imaging, biostatistics and biometry, information technology in bioinformatics and environmental pollution & public health.

Over the last twenty years integrated care has been touted as a solution to many issues in health services, such as insufficient coordination between services, cumbersome organizational boundaries, interrupted patient journeys, as well as spiraling health care costs. However, despite volumes of research, the field has seen few innovative advances in recent years. In particular, prevailing integrated care implementation practice and research appear to be very health science centred, spurning approaches from other disciplines. Axel Kaehne argues that it is time to re-evaluate how we investigate care integration. He asks us to radically question our assumptions about integrated care as a managerial, organisational and behavioural endeavor. This is a profound departure from conventional thinking about integration in health and social care. Kaehne reveals the tacit assumptions we make when we manage and change health services and offers a fresh perspective on care integration whilst inviting readers to examine long established research orthodoxies. This eclectic conceptual and theoretical approach produces surprising insights for everyone who is ready to see things anew.

The updated edition of the first of three volumes on Medical Physics focuses even more on body systems related to physical principles such as body mechanics, energy balance, and action potentials. Thanks to numerous newly incorporated didactic features, the introductory text into the broad fi eld of medical physics is easy to understand and supports self-study. New: highlighted boxes emphasize special topics; math boxes explain more advanced mathematical issues; each chapter concludes with a summary of the key concepts, questions, a self-assessment of the acquired competence, and exercises. The appendix contains answers to questions and solutions to exercises.

The updated edition of the second of three volumes on Medical Physics presents modern physical methods for medical diagnostics. It provides a solid background on imaging techniques that use non-ionizing probes (ultrasound, endoscopy including CLE and OCT, MRI) and imaging techniques that use ionizing radiation (X-ray radiography, CT, SPECT, PET). Radiation sources, interactions of radiation with matter and radiation protection for x-rays, -rays, protons and neutrons are presented. Some of these topics are also relevant to the therapeutic applications presented in Volume 3. NEW: highlighted boxes emphasize specifi c topics; math boxes explain more advanced mathematical issues; each chapter concludes with a summary of the key concepts, questions, a self-assessment of the acquired competence and exercises. The appendix provides answers to questions and solutions to exercises.

Nanomedicine-the application of nanotechnology to health sciences-has the potential to address many important medical problems by exploiting the advanced physicochemical characteristics of nanostructured materials and devices. It can revolutionize conventional medicine by offering cutting-edge developments in the processes of diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases, injuries, or genetic disorders. Thus, clinical nanomedicine holds promise to preserve and improve human health. This book provides a comprehensive overview on the forefront developments of nanotechnology in various domains of clinical medicine, such as cardiology, oncology, pharmacology, immunology, dermatology, virology, hematology, orthopedics, embryology and congenital defects, dentistry, and tissue engineering. It also extensively discusses the toxicology aspects of engineered nanomaterials.

Japan is suffering from a "device gap." Compared to its American and European counterparts, Japan lags in adopting innovative medical devices and making new treatments and procedures available to its patients. Many blame its government and bureaucracy for Japan's delayed access to modern medicine and new medical devices. Christa Altenstetter examines the contextual social, historical, and political conditions of Japan's medical field to make sense of the state of the country's medical profession and its regulatory framework. She explores the development of regulatory frameworks and considers possibilities for eventual reform and modernization. More specifically, Altenstetter looks into how physicians and device companies connect to the government and bureaucracy, the relationships connecting Japanese patients to their medical system and governmental bureaucracy, and how the relationships between policymakers and the medical profession are changing. The issues addressed here are becoming increasingly relevant as numerous countries in Asia, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe are only now beginning to regulate medical technology, following the lead of the US and the European Union. Those interested in global medicine and Asian studies will find this book both informative and compelling.

Agile Implementation describes the underlying theories and frameworks that explain health delivery systems and lays out the 8 steps of the Agile Implementation Model founded by Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH and Jose Azar, MD. In today's complex healthcare environment, implementing evidence-based care into real-world practices is difficult and time consuming. Even methods that are known to be effective allow for limited flexibility and therefore fail as often as they succeed. Through much study and experimentation, Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH, Jose Azar, MD, and Craig A. Solid, PhD have come to understand how individuals' interactions within the complex social systems of hospitals, clinics, and other care delivery organizations shape the decisions and behaviors of those involved. Upon this foundation and through leveraging theories of behavioral economics, we have developed the Agile Implementation Model, a process for selecting, adapting, implementing, evaluating, sustaining, and scaling evidence-based healthcare interventions. This model acknowledges the uniqueness of each individual facility and considers individuals within the system to be semiautonomous but interconnected. In tandem with illustrative examples, Agile Implementation describes the underlying theories and frameworks that explain health delivery systems and lays out the 8 steps of the Agile Implementation Model. Upon completing Agile Implementation, readers have a better understanding of why certain quality initiatives succeed while others fail and have tangible, actionable tools for implementing effective and sustainable change in the healthcare setting.

Anna Tarrant's revealing research explores the dynamics of men's caring responsibilities in low-income families' lives. The book draws on pioneering multigenerational research to examine men's involvement in care for their families. It interrogates how this is affected by the resources available and the constraints upon them, considering intersections of gender, generation and work, as well as the impact of austerity and welfare support. Illuminating aspects of care within economic hardship that often go unseen, it deepens our understanding of masculinities and family life and the policies and practices that support or undermine men's participation.

This book presents an advanced systematic mapping review (SMR) and state-of-the-art taxonomy of emergency departments (EDs). Focusing on the patients' level of fulfilment and how it can be enhanced, it examines existing problems like waiting periods and overcrowding and how these can be alleviated to provide a better service. The author examined research papers from 1964 to 2018, and developed six research questions, organising them using mapping studies, the primary objectives of which were firstly, to obtain a common understanding of the problems that need to be highlighted in EDs, and secondly, to re-analyse the methods used. Focusing on quality, the book encourages citations of experimental methods from important studies concerning EDs that can improve services. Through different research papers, various thematic areas in the healthcare sector were examined, like the determination of the relative efficiency of pre-discharge interventions; the analysis of care and managing common indications during the last stages of life; using e-Health to enhance effectiveness and proficiency; the seriousness of patient differences among EDs; the identification of quality problems in healthcare contexts; existing opportunities and the suggested plans. The book concludes that an analytical decision-making process should be used to assess a health technology on the basis of its performance. It stresses the importance of updating this analytical system frequently.

The mechanical properties of cells can be used to distinguish pathological from normal cells and tissues in many diseases. This book will outline the physics behind cell and tissue mechanics, describe the methods which can be used to determine their mechanical properties, and present various diseases in which a mechanical fingerprint could be established. The book is designed to not require a background in either Physics or Life Sciences.

The mechanical properties of cells can be used to distinguish pathological from normal cells and tissues in many diseases. This book will outline the physics behind cell and tissue mechanics, describe the methods which can be used to determine their mechanical properties, and present various diseases in which a mechanical fingerprint could be established. The book is designed to not require a background in either Physics or Life Sciences.

Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is a generic term for all methods that help people making decisions according to their preferences, in situations where there is more than one conflicting criterion. It is a branch of operational research dealing with finding optimal results in complex scenarios including various indicators, conflicting objectives and criteria. The approach of MCDM involves decision making concerning quantitative and qualitative factors. The importance and success of MCDM are due to the fact that they have successfully dealt with different types of problematics for supporting decision makers such as choice, ranking and sorting, description. Even though, each of the different problematics in MCDM is important, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Sorting Methods will focus on sorting approaches across a wide range of interesting techniques and research disciplines. The applications which have been and can be solved by these techniques are more and more important in current real-world decision-making problems. Therefore, the book provides a clear overview of MCDM sorting methods and the different tools which can be used to solve real-world problems by revising such tools and characterizing them according to their performance and suitability for different types of problems. The book is aimed at a broad audience including computer scientists, engineers, geography and GIS experts, business and financial management experts, environment experts, and all those professional people interested in MCDM and its applications. The book may also be useful for teaching MCDM courses in fields such as industrial management, computer science, and applied mathematics, as new developments in multi-criteria decision making.

MRI: Essentials for Innovative Technologies describes novel methods to improve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) beyond its current limitations. It proposes smart encoding methods and acquisition sequences to deal with frequency displacement due to residual static magnetic field inhomogeneity, motion, and undersampling. Requiring few or no hardware modifications, these speculative methods offer building blocks that can be combined and refined to overcome barriers to more advanced MRI applications, such as real-time imaging and open systems.

After a concise review of basic mathematical tools and the physics of MRI, the book describes the severe artifacts produced by conventional MRI techniques. It first tackles magnetic field inhomogeneities, outlining conventional solutions as well as a completely different approach based on time-varying gradients and temporal frequency variation coding (acceleration). The book then proposes two innovative acquisition methods for reducing acquisition time, motion, and undersampling artifacts: adaptive acquisition and compressed sensing. The concluding chapter lays out the author s predictions for the future of MRI.

For some of the proposed solutions, this is the first time the reported results have been published. Where experimental data is preliminary or unavailable, the book presents only numerical solutions. Offering insight into emerging MRI techniques, this book provides readers with specialized knowledge to help them design better acquisition sequences and select appropriate correction methods.

The author s proceeds from the sale of this book will be entirely donated to Bambin Gesu Children s Hospital in Rome.

Drs. Guhl, Parisien, and Boynton have prepared a third edition of this successful volume, heretofore published by Slack (who no longer publishes books on orthopaedic surgery, only journals). The editors have invited a prestigious group of contributors, including such stellar names in the field as Ferkel, Lundeen, Tasto, etc. The new edition will address the most recent and valuable developments in foot and ankle arthroscopy, including the practical applications of instrumentation and technique in the clinical setting. Unique to this book are the imaging techniques, laser surgery, mid-foot arthroscopy, and most importantly - endoscopic surgery of the ankle and foot. Sections and chapters on anatomy, differential diagnosis, soft tissue pathology, rehabilitation, and again, unique to this volume, office and outpatient arthroscopy make this a comprehensive reference.

Practical Data Analytics for Innovation in Medicine: Building Real Predictive and Prescriptive Models in Personalized Healthcare and Medical Research Using AI, ML, and Related Technologies, Second Edition discusses the needs of healthcare and medicine in the 21st century, explaining how data analytics play an important and revolutionary role. With healthcare effectiveness and economics facing growing challenges, there is a rapidly emerging movement to fortify medical treatment and administration by tapping the predictive power of big data, such as predictive analytics, which can bolster patient care, reduce costs, and deliver greater efficiencies across a wide range of operational functions. Sections bring a historical perspective, highlight the importance of using predictive analytics to help solve health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, provide access to practical step-by-step tutorials and case studies online, and use exercises based on real-world examples of successful predictive and prescriptive tools and systems. The final part of the book focuses on specific technical operations related to quality, cost-effective medical and nursing care delivery and administration brought by practical predictive analytics.

Agile Implementation describes the underlying theories and frameworks that explain health delivery systems and lays out the 8 steps of the Agile Implementation Model founded by Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH and Jose Azar, MD. In today's complex healthcare environment, implementing evidence-based care into real-world practices is difficult and time consuming. Even methods that are known to be effective allow for limited flexibility and therefore fail as often as they succeed. Through much study and experimentation, Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH, Jose Azar, MD, and Craig A. Solid, PhD have come to understand how individuals' interactions within the complex social systems of hospitals, clinics, and other care delivery organizations shape the decisions and behaviors of those involved. Upon this foundation and through leveraging theories of behavioral economics, we have developed the Agile Implementation Model, a process for selecting, adapting, implementing, evaluating, sustaining, and scaling evidence-based healthcare interventions. This model acknowledges the uniqueness of each individual facility and considers individuals within the system to be semiautonomous but interconnected. In tandem with illustrative examples, Agile Implementation describes the underlying theories and frameworks that explain health delivery systems and lays out the 8 steps of the Agile Implementation Model. Upon completing Agile Implementation, readers have a better understanding of why certain quality initiatives succeed while others fail and have tangible, actionable tools for implementing effective and sustainable change in the healthcare setting.

Oligonucleotides represent one of the most significant pharmaceutical breakthroughs in recent years, showing great promise as diagnostic and therapeutic agents for malignant tumors, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, viral infections, and many other degenerative disorders. The Handbook of Analysis of Oligonucleotides and Related Products is an essential reference manual on the practical application of modern and emerging analytical techniques for the analysis of this unique class of compounds. A strong collaboration among thirty leading analytical scientists from around the world, the book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the most commonly used analytical techniques and their advantages and limitations in assuring the identity, purity, quality, and strength of an oligonucleotide intended for therapeutic use. Topics discussed include: Strategies for enzymatic or chemical degradation of chemically modified oligonucleotides toward mass spectrometric sequencing Purity analysis by chromatographic or electrophoretic methods, including RP-HPLC, AX-HPLC, HILIC, SEC, and CGE Characterization of sequence-related impurities in oligonucleotides by mass spectrometry and chromatography Structure elucidation by spectroscopic methods (IR, NMR, MS) as well as base composition and thermal melt analysis (Tm) Approaches for the accurate determination of molar extinction coefficient of oligonucleotides Accurate determination of assay values Assessment of the overall quality of oligonucleotides, including microbial analysis and determination of residual solvents and heavy metals Strategies for determining the chemical stability of oligonucleotides The use of hybridization techniques for supporting pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism studies in preclinical and clinical development Guidance for the presentation of relevant analytical information towards meeting current regulatory expectations for oligonucleotide therapeutics This resource provides a practical guide for applying state-of-the-art analytical techniques in research, development, and manufacturing settings.