This open access book offers the first in-depth study of the history and current debates surrounding electronic cigarettes comparing the UK, US and Australia. Since their introduction, e-cigarettes have been the subject of much public, media and regulatory attention, with discussion centring on whether these devices encourage or discourage smoking. This study delves into the history of policymaking and institutions in three countries which have taken different approaches to the regulation of e-cigarettes. In the UK, the tradition of harm reduction through nicotine has helped form a response which has endorsed e-cigarettes, though not without considerable controversy. In contrast, the US has a cessation-only anti-tobacco agenda, and Australia has effectively banned e-cigarettes. This book argues that each country frames the long-term use of nicotine differently and prioritises the health of different groups within the population of smokers or non-smokers, set against a broad backdrop of national responses to addiction. By taking this comparative approach, the authors explore the relationship between history, evidence and policy in public health more widely.

There is increasing recognition that advances in medicine are only part of the answer to better health care. These advances, together with rising expectations of health care users, mean that demands on the way we organise and deliver services will become greater. It is therefore essential that we advance our understanding and knowledge of how best to organise and deliver health services. This book, written by experienced teachers and researchers, introduces research methods from a wide range of social science disciplines and applies them to health service research.
Each chapter takes a different research method or approach and provides: theoretical background; a description of the method; advice on how to use it; relevant examples; a discussion of the limitations of the method; a list of further reading.
Research methods covered include: epidemiology; organisational psychology; action research; political science/policy analysis; organisational economics; historical methods and operational research. This book also looks at the issues in synthesising evidence from qualitative research and non-experimental quantitative studies.
This is an invaluable reader for researchers, students and research funders and provides an appropriate text for the growing number of courses in the multidisciplinary field of health services research.

First published in 1997, this volume approaches the controversial issue of Medicare and its future. First passed in 1965 to aid payments for elderly and disabled medical care, the costs had ballooned in the 1990s, asking questions about how to improve its efficiency. An original goal of this book was to contextualise Medicare within the anticipated comprehensive restructuring of American healthcare. With Medicare 10% of the federal budget at the original time of publication, Marilyn Moon now takes another look at Medicare and discusses how the budget could be tightened without threatening the function of Medicare, with an emphasis on better targeting. In particular, the novel issue of means testing is explored. Having researched Medicare since 1981, Moon recasts her book by discussing issues including Medicare's context, ensuring access, containing costs, the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act, the potential for marginal changes, reducing costs, expanding Medicare and ultimately how Medicare should look to change.

There is increasing recognition that advances in medicine are only part of the answer to better health care. These advances, together with rising expectations of health care users, mean that demands on the way we organise and deliver services will become greater. It is therefore essential that we advance our understanding and knowledge of how best to organise and deliver health services. This book, written by experienced teachers and researchers, introduces research methods from a wide range of social science disciplines and applies them to health service research.
Each chapter takes a different research method or approach and provides: theoretical background; a description of the method; advice on how to use it; relevant examples; a discussion of the limitations of the method; a list of further reading.
Research methods covered include: epidemiology; organisational psychology; action research; political science/policy analysis; organisational economics; historical methods and operational research. This book also looks at the issues in synthesising evidence from qualitative research and non-experimental quantitative studies.
This is an invaluable reader for researchers, students and research funders and provides an appropriate text for the growing number of courses in the multidisciplinary field of health services research.

Provide effective services to ethnic elders with culturally competent training!Therapeutic Interventions with Ethnic Elders: Health and Social Issues provides culture-specific information to health and social work professionals. You will explore distinctive qualities that are found in ten different ethnic groups to help you better serve these populations. The historical events that have shaped these elders'often-adverse reactions to mainstream providers are also included. Ideas on how to effectively approach these situations are included to improve your skills with a diverse population of clients. The information in Therapeutic Interventions with Ethnic Elders is invaluable to health care administrators who plan services and hire personnel to work with various ethnic groups. The book also functions as a training tool to increase the awareness of staff members who currently work with ethnically diverse populations. You will learn to recognize culturally driven behaviors in ethnic elders and how to make appropriate interventions. Some of the general and culture-specific issues that Therapeutic Interventions with Ethnic Elders addresses are: helping ethnic elders to feel comfortable utilizing your services appropriately modifying therapy to meet the individual's cultural background reinforcing a new sense of independence for these elders by helping them understand available services understanding cultural inhibitions in Japan that hide, deny, or ignore mental illness realizing that traditional Euro-American psychotherapy techniques cannot be readily transplanted and applied to all other cultures addressing depression, anxiety, increased illness, intergenerational conflict, and even marital conflict combined with the stress of assimilation and acculturation among Russian emigrants understanding folk beliefs and the importance of the role of the church for many elder African-Americans Therapeutic Interventions with Ethnic Elders addresses the need for practitioners, agencies, and institutions to understand and respect the different characteristics of each elderly minority population. You will examine the unique historical contexts of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, African, Russian, Navajo, Yaqui, Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican elders and explore the stress factors that come with immigrating, such as finding a peaceful place to live and being confronted by age discrimination and racism. This important book explains cultural behaviors to provide you with effective suggestions for providing optimum care to the ethnic elders in your life.

This book is destined to become a classic in its field.Sidney Sax, Chairman, Ethics Committee, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, former Director of Health Services, Planning and Research, NSWThe whys and hows are clearly and carefully explained for everyone involved in planning health services of all sizes in today's demanding climate. No health planner should go to work without this book.Tony Adams, Professor of Public Health, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National UniversityIncreasing concern about a positive return on investment in health leads to a need to make choices. As a result, skills in planning are increasingly being required of managers, providers and policy makers in health care.Experienced planners and teachers Kathy Eagar, Pamela Garrett and Vivian Lin have written a comprehensive introduction that bridges the theory and practice of health planning. They outline the health policy and planning context, the impact of different resource allocation environments on planning, and explain the processes and the technical skills needed to undertake service, program, corporate, business and facility planning.The authors also explore major challenges facing health planners, including the growing role of market forces in health care, the need to balance equity of access with equity of outcomes, and the tension between planning for population health versus planning for more efficient health care delivery. Illustrated with extensive case studies from both the public and private sectors, Health Planning is an indispensable reference for health professionals and a valuable text for students.

Winner of a 2013 Shingo Research and Professional Publication AwardThis practical guide for healthcare executives, managers, and frontline workers, provides the means to transform your enterprise into a High-Quality Patient Care Business Delivery System. Designed for continuous reference, its self-contained chapters are divided into three primary sections: Defines what Lean is and includes some interesting history about Lean not found elsewhere. Describes and explains the application of each Lean tool and concept organized in their typical order of use. Explains how to implement Lean in various healthcare processes providing examples, case studies, and valuable lessons learned This book will help to take you out of your comfort zone and provide you with new ways to extend value to your customers. It drives home the importance of the Lean Six Sigma journey. The pursuit of continuous improvement is a journey with no end. Consequently, the opportunities are endless as to what you and your organization can accomplish. Forty percent of the authors profits from this book will be donated to help the homeless through two Baltimore charities. Praise for the book: well-timed and highly informative for those committed to creating deep levels of sustainable change in healthcare. Peter B. Angood, MD, FACS, FCCM, Senior Advisor Patient Safety, in National Quality Forum the most practical and healthcare applicable book I have ever read on LEAN thinking and concepts. Gary Shorb, CEO, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare ... well written ... an essential reference in the library of all healthcare leaders interested in performance improvement. Lee M. Adler, DO, VP, Quality and Safety Innovation and Research, Florida Hospital, Orlando; Asso

For too long now, the issue of health care reform has been dominated by the techniques of mainstream economics and the constant application of the tools of cost-benefit analysis to an area that does not suit it.
Issues such as privacy, genetic testing and the allocation of organ transplants require a more sensitive approach to the setting of budgets, and so a more socially responsible attitude towards health care economics is emerging. John Davis has gathered together an impressive range of contributors to explore these phenomena.

This book provides a scholarly discussion of arguably the most important advance in U.S. public health services since Medicare 50 years ago - how the Federal program known as the Patient Care and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) or "Obamacare" became law. It addresses ACA in terms of its impact on improving health and behavioural health services for key diverse populations in America, including people with disabilities, consumers, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and veterans and their families. From the very beginning, ACA was controversial and the topic of heated political debate at both state and national levels. This book examines more closely how the legislation was developed, including the political history of the act; the many advocacy efforts at the national level and the community-based action strategies at the grassroots level; how ACA will affect a broad cross-section of America; the integration of health and behavioural health services as a key component of ACA; the financing of ACA and parity for behavioural health services. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation.

The fourth book in the Healthcare Payment System series, Cost-Based, Charge-Based, and Contractual Payment Systems compares cost-based systems, charge-based payment approaches, and contractually-based payment processes with fee-schedule payment systems and prospective payment systems. Supplying readers with a clear understanding of important background material on the different types of healthcare providers, it covers the basics of cost-based, charge-based, and contractual payment systems. The book illustrates essential concepts with a series of simple case studies making it ideal for anyone interested in learning more about the specific systems and processes used for payment in healthcare services. It discusses Medicare cost-based payment systems, Medicare payment approaches, and includes an appendix that outlines the various Medicare payment systems. Demystifying contractual language, it outlines managed care contracts and also: Delves into the intricacies involved with adjudication of claims Considers capitated payment systems Addresses healthcare costs and cost-based reimbursement systems Examines charge-based and contractual payment systems Describes where healthcare payment systems are headed in the future Since compliance is inherent throughout the process of providing services, filling claims, and receiving payment, the book examines the range of compliance concerns, including statutory, contractual, and overpayment issues. Using numerous examples to illustrate the processes used for capitated contract arrangements, the book includes coverage of claim adjustment, managed care contracts, and the various combinations of payment systems used by third-party administrators.

The General Practice Jigsaw provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on the future of education training and professional development in general practice and primary care. It is an anthology of work produced by many of the leading figures in general practice across the United Kingdom. General practice now faces challenges that could be seen as threatening the way it traditionally operates but can also be seen as presenting opportunities. This book provides inspiration and guidance to its readers and fuel for the challenges ahead. It shares knowledge and best practice on education teaching and professional development drawing on examples from local regional and national projects. It is essential reading for general practitioners involved in education and training for everyone who needs to know how revalidation and professional development will influence them and for all members of primary health care teams who want to be involved in shaping the primary care organisations of the future.

Help students build knowledge and prepare with confidence for assessment with the essential classroom resource from Judith Adams - the only textbook tailored to the CACHE Level 2 Technical Award in Health and Social Care. - Helps students understand 'High Priority' concepts, which are all clearly identified and defined throughout the text - Shows how each topic applies in practice through 'Theory in Action' features - Stretches the most able students with extension activities - Ensures students have the support and advice to be fully prepared for assessments through the extensive experience of author Judith Adams

Illustrates the applicability of the DEJI systems model for supply chain design, evaluation, justification, and integration Introduces a newly developed food supply chain flowchart framework covering end-to-end flow Covers basic elements of supply chain from a systems perspective Highlights the global impacts of disruption cased by COVID-19 Leverages the Triple C Model of system communication, cooperation, and coordination

Action research is a form of research closely linked to practice which can readily be undertaken by practitioners and service users. This handbook offers a comprehensive guide to action research as a strategy for inquiry and development in health and social care. It can be used by individuals or groups working independently on their own projects or as a basis for a tutor-led course. It features
* an introduction to the theories behind action research and other forms of research related to it
*lively case studies from social work, nursing, mental health care and community work
* a step-by-step study guide.
The theoretical section of the book provides a general definition of action research, compares action research with other forms of social research, outlines the nature of a 'culture of inquiry' in the workplace, and describes the links between action research and service-user research, management,community development, evaluation, reflective practice, feminist research and anti-racist research.
This practical study guide covers issues such as preparing a proposal, ethics and principles of procedure, gathering and analysing data, writing a report, the links between action research and critical reflection. It will be particularly useful for groups wishing to undertake action research on an independent basis

eBook available with sample pages: 0203199677

This book describes the most effective treatment for the problems that exist in the leadership of hospitals in the UK and discusses the characteristics of top leaders occupying executive hospital board positions. It focuses on the potential adverse effects of dysfunctional leadership.

This book is a collection of original essays on the meaning of providing care. These essays address not only the work of caring for the elderly, but also the work of caring for children, the infirm and those with disabilities.
The essays approach the topic from an ethical standpoint and also from a more practical, feminist and sociological point of view. The main goal of this book is to re-conceive the notion of care work, beginning with steps as simple as replacing the phrase 'caregiver' with the phrase 'care worker'.

This collection brings together the leading research in maternity care from the United States, Canada and Europe to discuss systems of care for pregnancy and childbirth. The essays focus on the practical side of "good" social science and "feminist-friendly" research. The text not only looks at maternity, but also the act of childbirth, with the goal of providing not just comparative perspectives of care, but also to integrate the differences in care within each essay for a truly international understanding of maternity care.

This book analyses the contribution of family medicine to high quality primary healthcare in addressing the challenges faced by the current health system, and provides options for moving forward. It describes the rationale for structuring health systems to be more responsive to the needs of people.

EU Health Systems and Distributive Justice uses theories of distributive justice to examine tensions created by the application of the Internal Market rules to the provision of health care services within the European Union. Using the concepts and principles embedded in the theories of egalitarianism and libertarianism, this book analyses the impact of the Internal Market rules on common values and principles shared by European health systems, such as universality, accessibility, equity and solidarity. This analysis is conducted using the specific issue of cross-border health care. This book makes innovative contributions to the study of the relationship between EU health systems and the Internal Market - it encompasses the analysis of all principles recognised by EU institutions as guiding principles of European health systems; it integrates human rights law and practice into the discussion of the EU Court of Justice's approach to patient mobility cases; and it assesses the potential impact of the Internal Market over EU health systems through the lens of distributive justice, looking at the underlying principles of these systems that are mostly concerned with social justice. Ultimately, this is not a book on EU law and health care, but it is a book on distributive justice, health care and the principles and policies guiding European health systems.

This book empirically examines health care financing reforms and popular responses in three major cities in East Asia: Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. It adopts a new revised version of the theory of historical institutionalism to compare and explain the divergent reform paths in these three places over the past three decades. It also examines forces that propel institutional change. The book provides three detailed case studies on the development of health care financing reforms and the politics of implementing them. It shows that health care systems in Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong were the products of Western presence in the nineteenth century. It illustrates how greater attention is paid to the roles played by ideas, actors, and environmental triggers without abandoning the core assumptions that political institutions and policy feedback remain central to impact health care financing reforms. It shows that health care financing reform is shaped by a complex interplay of forces over time. It also provides the most updated material about health care financing reforms in Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The central argument of this book is that health care financing reform is both an evolving process responding to changing circumstances and a political process revealing an intricate interplay of power relationships and diverse interests. It shows that institutional changes in health care financing system can be incremental but transformative in nature. It argues that social policies will continue to develop and welfare states will continue to adapt and evolve in order to cope with new risks and needs. This book sheds new lights on understanding the politics of health care financing reform and sources and modes of institutional change.

The debate about health care reform has gone on for many years. The debate has generated often innovative ideas for reform that transcend national boundaries. For example, proposals have been made for an extension of health insurance with a framework of social protection; progressive development of funding methods; controls on expenditure; bringing benefits into line with what is actually needed; and the application of technological advances.

The book concentrates on health insurance policy innovations in selected countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. In addition this book addresses recent institutional economic findings with regard to application of information technology in health insurance systems. Topics discussed include: new approaches in extending coverage in a health insurance system, confronting resource scarcity: innovative strategies, refining benefits to meet current needs, new institutional and administrative frameworks, and transformation through information technology systems. Many of the innovations presented here have already been integrated into existing reforms and the authors refer to concrete developments in individual countries and regions.

This book presents those important innovations to social health insurance systems in industrialized and developing countries that have been brought forward in recent years and, as far as possible, already evaluated. In doing so, the intention is to show developments that are valid for more than one country and could have long term impact on health insurance systems. This book is intended to promote deeper exchanges of experience between differing regions, countries, and health insurance systems. In this way itwill stimulate ideas for politicians and practitioners, scientists and other experts.

This book provides a comparative and accessible analysis of key areas of healthcare law, comparing English law with selected common and civil law jurisdictions within a framework of law and medical ethics, and encompassing pivotal cases, codes and legislation. The introduction examines medical decision making, and legal and ethical frameworks in Western and non-Western cultures. Part I examines healthcare law in England and Wales, including abortion, consent, confidentiality, children, euthanasia, persistent vegetative state patients, organ transplantation, sterilisation of the mentally incapacitated, surrogacy, UK cloning proposals and the landmark conjoined twins case. Part II covers non-English common law jurisdictions such as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and certain American jurisdictions. Civil law examples focus on France and Germany, and, where appropriate, Scandinavian countries. International perspectives on abortion laws and euthanasia are also provided. The book concludes with a comparative overview, which highlights common healthcare themes across various jurisdictions. Comparative Healthcare Law brings together information never previously accessible within the covers of one volume, making this unique book indispensable for scholars and practitioners in the field of healthcare law.

This book comes out of an in-depth, qualitative study of the experiences of twenty-three families in which one parent was dying of cancer. The study attempted to better understand the impact of terminal illness on the entire family system and sought to develop a theoretical framework that would guide the assessment of and services to such families. As a result of interviews with patients, spouses and their adult children over three phases of the study, the process of ""fading away"" was identified and conceptualized in terms of various phases which contributed to this process. The book is not a research report but rather presents more generally the ideas that developed from the study, with two purposes: to increase the reader's understanding of particular experiences that families encounter when dealing with terminal illness, specifically cancer. The intended readership also includes families themselves: to propose guidelines for care to be considered by practitioners working with such families.

The complex, highly problematic, often thorny dynamics of trust and authority are central to the anthropological study of legitimacy. In this book, this sine qua non runs across the in-depth examination of the ways in which healthcare and public health are managed by the authorities and experienced by the people on the ground in urban Europe, the USA, India, Africa, Latin America and the Far and Middle East. This book brings comparatively together anthropological studies on healthcare and public health rigorously based on in-depth empirical knowledge. Inspired by the current debate on legitimacy, legitimation and de-legitimation, the contributions do not refrain from taking into account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the health systems under study, but carefully avoid letting this issue monopolise the discussion. This book raises key challenges to our understanding of healthcare practices and the governance of public health. With a keen eye on urban life, its inequalities and the ever-expanding gap between rulers and the ruled, the findings address important questions on the complex ways in which authorities gain, keep, or lose the public’s trust.