Methodological problems have hampered researchers' efforts to understand and control AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. This practical book addresses these problems by using actual health research case studies to develop strategies regarding design and sampling, measurement, and analysis and modeling issues. Researchers working on both biological and behavioral aspects of the disease will find this work a singularly effective tool to improve their study designs.

The field of health psychology has grown dramatically in the last decade, with exciting new developments in the study of how psychological and psychosocial processes contribute to risk for and disease sequelae for a variety of medical problems. In addition, the quality and effectiveness of many of our treatments, and health promotion and disease prevention efforts, have been significantly enhanced by the contributions of health psychologists (Taylor, 1995). Unfortunately, however, much of the theo rizing in health psychology and the empirical research that derives from it continue to reflect the mainstream bias of psychology and medicine, both of which have a primary focus on white, heterosexual, middle-class American men. This bias pervades our thinking despite the demographic heterogeneity of American society (U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1992) and the substantial body of epidemiologic evidence that indicates significant group differences in health status, burden of morbidity and mortality, life expectancy, quality of life, and the risk and protective factors that con tribute to these differences in health outcomes (National Center for Health Statistics, 1994; Myers, Kagawa-Singer, Kumanyika, Lex, & M- kides, 1995). There is also substantial evidence that many of the health promotion and disease prevention efforts that have proven effective with more affluent, educated whites, on whom they were developed, may not yield comparable results when used with populations that differ by eth nicity, social class, gender, or sexual orientation (Cochran & Mays, 1991; Castro, Coe, Gutierres, & Saenz, this volume; Chesney & Nealey, this volume).

This work deals with the current health policy environment, organization and delivery of health services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It discusses present financing means, and future financing methods such as a proposed national health insurance program and user-changes as well as important strategic issues. It is for healthcare directors, planners and strategists and will be of interest to experts and international investors in health system reorganization.

"Software Tools and Algorithms for Biological Systems" is composed of a collection of papers received in response to an announcement that was widely distributed to academicians and practitioners in the broad area of computational biology and software tools. Also, selected authors of accepted papers of BIOCOMP'09 proceedings (International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology: July 13-16, 2009; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) were invited to submit the extended versions of their papers for evaluation.

-Rick Thomas brings his 30 years experience in the field to the text making it very applied and accessible. -Lots of boxed material. -"Recommended" purchase for all librarians as reviewed in the June 2004 issue of CHOICE.

Systemic Method Mark B. Mengel, M. D. , M. P. H. Learning Objectives 3 The Biomedical Model 6 A New Framework: The Systemic Patient-Centered Method 9 Physician Roles Patient Roles 22 Patient-Centered Clinical Decision-Making Data Base Responding to Patient Cues Constructing a Mutually Agreeable Plan The Systemic Patient-Centered Method: Other Concerns Changing Larger Systems Ethics of the Systemic Patient-Centered Method Efficacy of the Systemic Patient-Centered Method 32 Safety of the Systemic Patient-Centered Method Conclusion Cases for Discussion Recommended Readings XV 36 34 32 32 31 30 30 27 25 23 16 10 Patient-Centered The 1: Chapter !iiiii!i !ili !iil !i!i !iii !iii iiii !iiiii!i !iii !iil !iii!ii! !i!i!iiiiiii !i!i !i!i!iil ii!i !i!i !iii iiii!iiiiiii !ill !i!i!iii !iii !i!i !i!ilili!iii iiii !iil i!ii iili iii! i!ii ii!i i!ii iiii iiil iiiiiii! iiii iiiiii!iiiiiiiiiii!iiii!iiii iiii iiii ii!i iiiiii!i!i!iiiiiiiii !iii iiii iiiiiiiiii!i iiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiii!i iiii iiii iiiiiiii iiiiiiil iii!iiii iii! iiii iiii i!i! ilil iiii iiii iiii iiii iiii iiii iiii iiiiiiii iiii!iiiiiii iiii !iiiiiii iiii iiiiii!i iiii !iii !iiii!iii!i ii!i ii!i iiil iiii !i!i!iiiii!i!ill iiiiiiii! i!i iiii iili ii!i iiiiii!i iliiii!i iili iiiiiiiiiiililil iiii iiil ilil iliiiiiiiiiiiiii ilii ilii iiii iiii iiii iiii iiii iiiiiiii ilil i!il iiil iiii ii ii iiiiiiii iiiiiiii iiii !i !i!i !i!i !i!i !i!i !i!i !i!i !i!i !i!i !ill !i!i !i!iii!iii!i !i!i !i!i !!ii !iil !iii !iii !iii !i!i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iii!i ililili! iii iiii iiii iiiil iii iiiil iiii iiii iiii xvi Part II.

This book on Infectious Disease Informatics (IDI) and biosurveillance is intended to provide an integrated view of the current state of the art, identify technical and policy challenges and opportunities, and promote cross-disciplinary research that takes advantage of novel methodology and what we have learned from innovative applications. This book also fills a systemic gap in the literature by emphasizing informatics driven perspectives (e.g., information system design, data standards, computational aspects of biosurveillance algorithms, and system evaluation). Finally, this book attempts to reach policy makers and practitioners through the clear and effective communication of recent research findings in the context of case studies in IDI and biosurveillance, providing "hands-on" in-depth opportunities to practitioners to increase their understanding of value, applicability, and limitations of technical solutions. This book collects the state of the art research and modern perspectives of distinguished individuals and research groups on cutting-edge IDI technical and policy research and its application in biosurveillance. The contributed chapters are grouped into three units. Unit I provides an overview of recent biosurveillance research while highlighting the relevant legal and policy structures in the context of IDI and biosurveillance ongoing activities. It also identifies IDI data sources while addressing information collection, sharing, and dissemination issues as well as ethical considerations. Unit II contains survey chapters on the types of surveillance methods used to analyze IDI data in the context of public health and bioterrorism. Specific computational techniques covered include: text mining, time series analysis, multiple data streams methods, ensembles of surveillance methods, spatial analysis and visualization, social network analysis, and agent-based simulation. Unit III examines IT and decision support for public health event response and bio-defense. Practical lessons learned in developing public health and biosurveillance systems, technology adoption, and syndromic surveillance for large events are discussed. The goal of this book is to provide an understandable interdisciplinary IDI and biosurveillance reference either used as a standalone textbook or reference for students, researchers, and practitioners in public health, veterinary medicine, biostatistics, information systems, computer science, and public administration and policy.

Previously published as Strategic Information Management in Hospitals; An Introduction to Hospital Information Systems, Health Information Systems Architectures and Strategies is a definitive volume written by four authoritative voices in medical informatics. Illustrating the importance of hospital information management in delivering high quality health care at the lowest possible cost, this book provides the essential resources needed by the medical informatics specialist to understand and successfully manage the complex nature of hospital information systems. Author of the first edition's Foreword, Reed M. Gardner, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Medical Informatics, University of Utah and LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, applauded the text's focus on the underlying administrative systems that are in place in hospitals throughout the world. He wrote, "These challenging systems that acquire, process and manage the patient's clinical information. Hospital information systems provide a major part of the information needed by those paying for health care." their components; health information systems; architectures of hospital information systems; and organizational structures for information management.

This volume contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Pictorial Information Systems in Medicine" held August 27-September 7, 1984 in Hotel Maritim, Braunlage/Harz, Federal Republic of Germany. The program committee of the institute consisted of KH Hohne (Director), G. T Herman, G. S. Lodwick, and D. Meyer-Ebrecht. The organization was in the hands of Klaus Assmann and Fritz Bocker In the last decade medical imaging has undergone a rapid development New imaging modalities such as Computer Tomography (CT), Digital Angiography (DSA) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were developed using the capabilities of modern computers. In a modern hospital these technologies produce already more then 25% of image data in digital form. This format lends itself to the design of computer assisted Information systems Integrating data acquisition, presentation, communi cation and archiving for all modalities and users within a department or even a hospital. Advantages such as rapid access to any archived Image, synoptic presentation, computer assisted image analysis to name only a few, are expected. The design of such pictorial information systems, however, often called PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) In the medical community is a non-trivial task involving know-how from many disciplines such as - Medicine (especially Radiology), - Data Base Technology, - Computer Graphics, - Man Machine Interaction, - Hardware Technology and others. Most of these disCiplines are represented by disjunct scientific communities."

Providing genome-informed personalized treatment is a goal of modern medicine. Identifying new translational targets in nucleic acid characterizations is an important step toward that goal. The information tsunami produced by such genome-scale investigations is stimulating parallel developments in statistical methodology and inference, analytical frameworks, and computational tools. Within the context of genomic medicine and with a strong focus on cancer research, this book describes the integration of high-throughput bioinformatics data from multiple platforms to inform our understanding of the functional consequences of genomic alterations. This includes rigorous and scalable methods for simultaneously handling diverse data types such as gene expression array, miRNA, copy number, methylation, and next-generation sequencing data. This material is written for statisticians who are interested in modeling and analyzing high-throughput data. Chapters by experts in the field offer a thorough introduction to the biological and technical principles behind multiplatform high-throughput experimentation.

Bionics evolved in the 1960s as a framework to pursue the development of artificial systems based on the study of biological systems. Numerous disciplines and technologies, including artificial intelligence and learningdevices, information processing, systems architecture and control, perception, sensory mechanisms, and bioenergetics, contributed to bionics research. This volume is based on a NATO Advanced Research Workshop within the Special Programme on Sensory Systems for Robotic Control, held in Il Ciocco, Italy, in June 1989. A consensus emerged at the workshop, and is reflected in the book, on the value of learning from nature in order to derive guidelines for the design of intelligent machines which operate in unstructured environments. The papers in the book are grouped into seven chapters: vision and dynamic systems, hands and tactile perception, locomotion, intelligent motor control, design technologies, interfacing robots to nervous systems, and robot societies and self-organization.

In this introductory textbook to epidemiology, students will discover the knowledge and skills required for managing population-based health care under health reform. Fundamental epidemiological techniques are presented teaching students to assess the health status of populations served; determine appropriate interventions based upon knowledge of factors which affect health status; and evaluate the impact of health care systems, programs, technologies, and policies on the health status of populations. Each chapter includes case studies and discussion questions.

Computational Intelligence is comparatively a new field but it has made a tremendous progress in virtually every discipline right from engineering, science, business, m- agement, aviation to healthcare. Computational intelligence already has a solid track-record of applications to healthcare, of which this book is a continuation. We would like to refer the reader to the excellent previous volumes in this series on computational intelligence in heal- care [1-3]. This book is aimed at providing the most recent advances and state of the art in the practical applications of computational intelligence paradigms in healthcare. It - cludes nineteen chapters on using various computational intelligence methods in healthcare such as intelligent agents and case-based reasoning. A number of fielded applications and case studies are presented. Highlighted are in particular novel c- putational approaches to the semantic management of health information such as in the Web 2.0, mobile agents such as in portable devices, learning agents capable of adapting to diverse clinical settings through case-based reasoning, and statistical - proaches in computational intelligence. This book is targeted towards scientists, application engineers, professors, health professionals, professors, and students. Background information on computational intelligence has been provided whenever necessary to facilitate the comprehension of a broad audience including healthcare practitioners.

Conceived as a cross between natural language processing methods and biological sequences in DNA, RNA and protein, biological language model is a new scientific research topic in bioinformatics that has been extensively studied by the authors. The basic theory and applications of this model are presented in this book to serve as an reference for graduate students and researchers.

One of the characteristics of the final decade of this century is the treatment of information as a commodity. As the world becomes increasingly dominated by information and its technology, in all its facets, librarians must learn to integrate all the new developments into daily practice. 'It is to the extent to which we shall succeed in developing powerful information networks through efficient information transfer that we shall succeed in contributing to the betterment of health throughout our nations'. It is this challenge which medical librarians from some 34 countries set for themselves in convening the Third European Conference of Medical Libraries in Montpellier, France, in September 1992. All aspects of medical information were addressed - the technical aspects of transfer, ethical and legal issues, costs, benefits, rights and responsibilities, quality assurance, guidance systems, communications technology, education and training both of information professionals and end-users were discussed and debated in depth in Montpellier. This volume presents an accurate account of a conference which has made a significant contribution to the development of medical librarianship in Europe and the wider world.

The 1994 conference of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries drew together an exceptional group of invited speakers and contributed papers. Speakers came from every part of Europe, from N. America, and even from Australia, and almost all the papers presented are collected in this volume. They represent an important summary of the state of the art in libraries and information services in the medical and health areas and are a rich source of advice, assistance and information for everyone working in related fields. Most of the themes concentrate on the important growth areas of the profession: computer-based information services, networking (especially the Internet), and CD-ROMs. More general topics are not ignored, and the book contains many interesting contributions on identifying the needs of library users and evaluating how well these are being met. There is also an important section on the history of medicine.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Bioinformatics, PRIB 2012, held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2012. The 24 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 33 submissions. Their topics are widely ranging from fundamental techniques, sequence analysis to biological network analysis. The papers are organized in topical sections on generic methods, visualization, image analysis, and platforms, applications of pattern recognition techniques, protein structure and docking, complex data analysis, and sequence analysis.

are then selected and must meet the general 'biocompatibility' require ments. Prototypes are built and tested to include biocompatibility evalua tions based on ASTM standard procedures. The device is validated for sterility and freedom from pyrogens before it can be tested on animals or humans. Medical devices are classified as class I, II or III depending on their invasiveness. Class I devices can be marketed by submitting notification to the FDA. Class II and III devices require either that they show equivalence to a device marketed prior to 1976 or that they receive pre-marketing approval. The time from device conception to FDA approval can range from months (class I device) to in excess of ten years (class III device). Therefore, much planning is necessary to pick the best regulatory approach. 2. Wound Dressings and Skin Replacement 2.1 Introduction Wounds to the skin are encountered every day. Minor skin wounds cause some pain, but these wounds will heal by themselves in time. Even though many minor wounds heal effectively without scarring in the absence of treatment, they heal more rapidly if they are kept clean and moist. Devices such as Band-Aids are used to assist in wound healing. For deeper wounds, a variety of wound dressings have been developed including cell cultured artificial skin. These materials are intended to promote healing of skin damaged or removed as a result of skin grafting, ulceration, burns, cancer excision or mechanical trauma."

Health experts independently state that the most critical urban problems are preventable. This brings an added challenge to public health practitioners working in inner cities with predominately minority communities. In addition to deadly diseases - including transmittable diseases - violence, whether it is physical, sexual or child abuse, is the other predominant morbidity factor that urban areas confront. Because of these concerns, there is a need for health professionals working with the communities to critically examine health behavior theories and prevention methodologies. Additionally, new prevention practices and programs need to be developed for community-based interventions to better serve the populations in need including programs in: -HIV Prevention; -Evaluation and Policy Research; -Cancer Prevention and Screening; -Urban Public Health Policy; -Youth Violence Prevention.

"Fractals in Biology and Medicine" explores the potential of fractal geometry for describing and understanding biological organisms, their development and growth as well as their structural design and functional properties. It extends these notions to assess changes associated with disease in the hope to contribute to the understanding of pathogenetic processes in medicine. The book is the first comprehensive presentation of the importance of the new concept of fractal geometry for biological and medical sciences. It collates in a logical sequence extended papers based on invited lectures and free communications presented at a symposium in Ascona, Switzerland, attended by leading scientists in this field, among them the originator of fractal geometry, Benoit Mandelbrot. "Fractals in Biology and Medicine" begins by asking how the theoretical construct of fractal geometry can be applied to biomedical sciences and then addresses the role of fractals in the design and morphogenesis of biological organisms as well as in molecular and cell biology. The consideration of fractal structure in understanding metabolic functions and pathological changes is a particularly promising avenue for future research.

Health and mental health organizations are undergoing major changes in policies, procedures, structures, and emphasis. Many of these changes appear related to what may be termed the managed care revolution. This upheaval in delivery systems related to health and mental health care has been associated with great changes and rapid turnover in leaders and in leadership positions. It appears that many leaders are not able to lead their organizations into this or other new territories. The purpose of this book is to describe stages that organizations go through as they move rapidly to adapt to new and sometimes unwanted changes. The emphasis is on the aspects of leaders and of leadership that appear tied to successful or unsuccessful outcomes for organizations in the midst of these rapid changes. Particular challenges and expectations that are likely to be present in organizations and in individuals facing change are described. Methods are presented that might be employed by leaders to confront various difficulties in order to direct successful outcomes for themselves, as leaders, and for their organizations. Throughout the book, the essential and sometimes differing goals of leaders as individuals and of leadership as a professional process are highlighted. This book will be of interest to leaders and managers at all levels in various health and mental health care organizations, as well as graduate students in health care management, health care services, health care administration, and business administration. It will also be of interest to mental health professionals and graduate students in industrial and organizational psychology.

In March 2000 leading scientists gathered at the Centro Seminariale Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland, for the Third International Symposium on "Fractals 2000 in Biology and Medicine." This interdisciplinary conference was held over a four-day period and provided stimulating contributions from the very topical field Fractals in Biology and Medicine. This Volume III in the MBI series highlights the growing power and efficacy of the fractal geometry in understanding how to analyze living phenomena and complex shapes. Many biological objects, previously considered as hopelessly far from any quantitative description, are now being investigated by means of fractal methods. Researchers currently used fractals both as theoretical tools, to shed light on living systems self-organization and evolution, and as useful techniques, capable of quantitatively analyzing physiological and pathological cell states, shapes and ultrastructures. The book should be of interest to researchers and students from Molecular and C"

Many residency programs in primary care specialties do not provide the education in pediatric orthopedics necessary to effectively deal with the field's challenges. Here, the authors present a framework for the effective evaluation of childhood musculoskeletal problems in a practical and problem-based manner. The volume contains case studies and over 200 illustrations.

For two decades, I have been responding to questions about the nature of health psychology and how it differs from medical psychology, behavioral medicine, and clinical psychology. From the beginning, I have taken the position that any applica tion of psychological theory or practice to problems and issues of the health system is health psychology. I have repeatedly used an analogy to Newell and Simon's "General Problem Solver" program of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which had two major functional parts, in addition to the "executive" component. One was the "problem-solving core" (the procedural competence); the other was the representa tion of the "problem environment. " In the analogy, the concepts, knowledge, and techniques of psychology constitute the core competence; the health system in all its complexity is the problem environment. A health psychologist is one whose basic competence in psychology is augmented by a working knowledge of some aspect of the health system. Quite apparently, there are functionally distinct aspects of health psychology to the degree that there are meaningful subdivisions in psychological competence and significantly different microenvironments within the health system. I hesitate to refer to them as areas of specialization, as the man who gave health psychology its formal definition, Joseph Matarazzo, has said that there are no specialties in psychology (cited in the editors' preface to this book)."