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Books > Medicine > General issues > Health systems & services
Drawing on clinical experience dating from the birth of the NHS in
1948, Julian Tudor Hart, a politically active GP in a Welsh coal
mining community, charts the progress of the NHS from its 19th
century origins in workers' mutual aid societies, to its current
forced return to the market. His starting point is a detailed
analysis of how clinical decisions are made. He explores the
changing social relationships in the NHS as a gift economy, how
these may be affected by reducing care to commodity status, and the
new directions they might take if the NHS resumed progress
independently from the market. This new edition of this bestselling
book has been entirely rewritten with two new chapters, and
includes new material on resistance to that world-wide process. The
essential principle in the book is that patients need to develop as
active citizens and co-producers of health gain in a humanising
society and the author's aim is to promote it wherever people
recognise that pursuit of profit may be a brake on rational
progress.
A first in Midwifery publishing! No other book advises midwives on
the special needs of mothers with disabilities. Although an
increasing number of women with disabilities are having children,
the needs of this minority group are not always being effectively
met. Disability in Pregnancy and Childbirth provides essential
practical information to healthcare professionals working with this
group. The first book on maternity care for women with additional
or alternative needs A practical resource for all working with
pregnant women and mothers Reflects the lived experiences of women
with disabilities Written by experts in the field Holistic content
Looks at professional attitudes as well as the woman's needs
The greatest public health victories of the last century - public
sanitation, vehicle safety measures, limits on smoking and tobacco
use - have all been facilitated by public policies. While policy is
an unparalleled tool for effecting change in public health, most
professionals are unprepared to plan, apply, or study policy in a
consequential way. Prevention, Policy, and Public Health provides a
basic foundation for students, professionals, and researchers to be
more effective in the policy arena. It offers information on the
dynamics of the policymaking process, theoretical frameworks,
analysis, and policy applications. It also offers tools for
advocacy and communication, two integral aspects of shaping
policies for public health. Organized around the leading risk
factors for premature death and supplemented with illustrative case
study examples, this book will help professionals and researchers
understand the dimensions of policy, which can in turn inform the
conduct of research and evaluation. These skills, combined with an
understanding of opportunities and limitations within governments,
can be highly applicable to designing effective policies and
programs. With current pressures to implement broad and sustainable
public health improvements, policies are more important than ever
for anyone in the study and practice of public health. This book
can be considered a primer to truly understanding the connection
between prevention, policy, and public health.
This book focuses specifically on the importance of managing and
supporting people in health care services. Human resources are the
most significant aspect of health care budgets and the attraction
and retention of quality staff remains a pressing concern. This
book addresses this issue directly and provides both a theoretical
framework and extensive practical guidance in this vital aspect of
health care management.Up-to date information on the context of
health services today and the business agenda Relevant -
Specifically aimed at nurses and nursing Practical - readers
reflect on real life examples to see how they can use their skills
in practice
This text follows the continuum of care for patients who suffer
from mental disorders. From initial assessment, through patient
stay to discharge into the community, the contributors focus on
best practice and continuity of care. The work should be a suitable
companion for qualified mental health nurses and for students on
clinical placements. It is designed to be practical and relevant to
everyday realities at the sharp end when nursing disturbed
patients.
Mental health systems are in a crucial transition period, thanks to
the increasing prominence of health promotion therapy and a
corresponding shift toward emphasizing wellness and empowerment,
holistic and family-friendly design, and empirically supported
treatment. Such changes demand adjustments to mental health
education, and re-education, to maintain a common ground. The first
book of its kind, Integrating Health Promotion and Mental Health
presents a seamless framework for approaching contemporary mental
health problems.
This addition to the Essentials series provides a succinct guide
for nurses in adult-health clinical settings and fills the need for
an easy-to-use clinical reference that delivers a quick-access
reference on ways to incorporate wellness into their work, helping
to improve patient outcomes, and throughout their daily lives,
helping to reduce personal and professional stress and improve
their overall wellness. There currently is no clinical reference
book that nurses can use for health promotion in general and health
promotion for wellness in particular. Having such a reference is
especially pertinent to nurses who learned about health promotion
in academic nursing programs, but did not learn about health
promotion in the broader context of promoting wellness. Since
Florence Nightingale, nurses have considered health promotion
interventions - particularly patient education - as an essential
component of nursing care. Historically, these interventions
traditionally focused on physical health concerns, such as
nutrition, exercise, and fresh air, and more recently, on
immunisations, and screening for disease (e.g., cancer, diabetes,
hypertension, and cardiovascular disease). Because health promotion
has expanded to include ""wellness,"" nurses now address issues
related to broader aspects, such as stress reduction, body-mind
connectedness, and self-responsibility. At the same time that
wellness has become an important focus of care, health care
providers increasingly are emphasising cost effectiveness and use
of advanced technology. As a result of these concurrent trends,
nurses experience high levels of job-related stress and have less
time to promote patient wellness as an integral part of their care,
even though they recognise its importance. In addition, nurses
increasingly recognise that job-related pressures negatively affect
them personally and they are looking for ways to incorporate
wellness in their work and personal experiences. This book was
originally published under the Fast Facts series by Springer
Publishing Company.
Effective counselling is a cornerstone of all nursing care. This
new edition moves beyond the identification of a problem in order
to examine fully the practical nature of counselling concentrating
in particular on the potentially highly senstive nature of caring.
Topics covered include support systems, the bearing of ethical
issues on nurisng practice and the special skills required to give
appropriate advice in the case of bereavement. The book's
theoretical underpinning is once again the authors's own 'Four
Questions Model', which has been expanded for this edition: What is
happening? What is the meaning of it? What is your goal? and How
are you going to do it? All in all, the book comprises a practical
guide for student and practising nurses in all disciplines.Highly
successful backlist title which fits in well with Balliere
Tindall's publishing programme as a whole. New references.
For all its costs, flaws, and inequities, American health care is
fundamentally rooted in a belief that treatment should be based on
solid scientific research. To this end, between 2003 and 2010,
three different federal laws were enacted, the most recent being
the Affordable Care Act of 2010, that mandated new federal
investments in a type of clinical research called comparative
effectiveness research (CER) - research into what works best in
medical care. Comparative Effectiveness Research: Evidence,
Medicine, and Policy provides the first complete account of how -
and why - the federal government decided to make CER an important
feature of health reform. Despite earlier legislative uptake of
policy proposals on CER, support for federal mandates took dramatic
twists and turns, with eventual compromises forged amid failing
bipartisan alliances, special interests, and mobilized public
opinion. Based on exhaustive research and first-hand interviews,
the authors examine where CER fits in the production of scientific
evidence about the benefits and harms of treatments for human
diseases and conditions. Their work offers sobering confirmation
that contemporary American medical care falls, not surprisingly,
well short of the evidence-based ideal. Comparative Effectiveness
Research demonstrates that dealing constructively with the vast
uncertainties inherent to medical care requires policies to make
the generation of high-quality evidence an inseparable part of
routine health care.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an essential service in both
the public and private sectors, but its legislative framework is
complex. In order to ensure compliance and gain the confidence of their
clients, OHS practitioners engaged in the planning and implementation
of OHS in the workplace must make recommendations that are based on
solid factual foundations and codes of good practice. Thorough
knowledge of OHS standards and codes is crucial not only for OHS
practitioners such as health and safety representatives, safety
officers, occupational hygienists, and occupational health and
occupational medical professionals but for all those who may be engaged
in the OHS field, including employees, organisation management, and
students taking OHS-related courses. In response to this need for
increased knowledge in the OHS field, The Compendium of Occupational
Health and Safety Standards and Guidelines, 2025 provides an up-to-date
reference to the technical standards and guidelines relevant to OHS and
includes a selection of international codes provided as a benchmark for
the design of services. Further, the Compendium seeks to increase the
participation of OHS practitioners in the evaluation and further
development of OHS standards and guidelines in order to deliver
improved services.
This volume presents the results of research which represent a
significant contribution to the knowledge of equity in the finance
and delivery of health care in ten countries. It compares the
experience of nine European countries and the US using a consistent
methodology to draw out comparable results from ten very different
health care systems. Such an approach facilitates not only a
greater understanding of the performance of the health care systems
of other countries but also the identification of the lessons that
can be learnt from international comparisons. In recent years it
has been recognized that many health and health care problems are
similar across many countries and their solution can be usefuly
informed by the abandonment both of isolation and the belief that
an individual country's problems are unique. The contents of this
book demonstrate that given efficient research teams, research
funding can produce both significant new knowledge of direct
relevance to the reform of health care systems world-wide, and also
collaborative, mutually informative work between Europeans and
others living outside the EEC.
As most Americans know, conflicts of interest riddle the US health
care system. They result from physicians practicing medicine as
entrepreneurs, from physicians' ties to pharma, and from
investor-owned firms and insurers' influence over physicians'
medial choices. These conflicts raise questions about physicians'
loyalty to their patients and their professional and economic
independence. The consequences of such conflicts of interest are
often devastating for the patients--and society--stuck in the
middle.
In Conflicts of Interest and the Future of Medicine, Marc Rodwin
examines the development of these conflicts in the US, France, and
Japan. He shows that national differences in the organization of
medical practice and the interplay of organized medicine, the
market, and the state give rise to variations in the type and
prevalence of such conflicts. He then analyzes the strategies that
each nation employs to cope with them.
Unfortunately, many proposals to address physicians' conflicts of
interest do not offer solutions that stick. But drawing on the
experiences of these three nations, Rodwin demonstrates that we can
mitigate these problems with carefully planned reform and
regulation. He examines a range of measures that can be taken in
the private and public sector to preserve medical
professionalism--and concludes that there just might be more than
one prescription to this seemingly incurable malady.
Originally published in 1995, the first edition of Managing Your
Mind established a unique place in the self-help book market. A
blend of tried-and-true psychological counseling and no-nonsense
management advice grounded in the principles of CBTand other
psychological treatments, the book straddled two types of self-help
literature, arguing that in one's personal and professional life,
the way to success is the same. By adopting the practical
strategies that mental health experts Butler and Hope have
developed over years of clinical research and practice, one can
develop the "mental fitness" necessary to resolve one's personal
and interpersonal challenges at home and work and to live a
productive, satisfying life.
The first edition addressed how to develop key skills to mental
fitness (e.g., managing one's time better, facing and solving
problems better, keeping things in perspective, learning to relax,
etc.), how to improve one's relationships, how to beat anxiety and
depression, and how to establish a good mind-body balance. For this
new edition, Butler and Hope have updated all preexisting material
and have added five new chapters-on sexuality and intimate
relationships; anger in relationships; recent traumatic events and
their aftermath; loss and bereavement; and dealing with the past.
Evaluation is crucial for determining the effectiveness of social
programs and interventions. In this nuts and bolts handbook, social
work and health care professionals are shown how evaluations should
be done, taking the intimidation and guesswork out of this
essential task. Current perspectives in social work and health
practice, such as the strengths perspective, consumer empowerment,
empowerment evaluation, and evidence-based practice, are linked to
evaluation concepts throughout the book to emphasize their
importance. This book makes evaluation come alive with
comprehensive examples of each different type of evaluation, such
as a strengths-based needs assessment in a local community, a needs
assessment for Child Health Plus programs, comprehensive program
descriptions of HIV services and community services for the aged, a
model for goals and objectives in programs for people with mental
illness, a monitoring study of private practice social work, and
process evaluations of a Medicare advocacy program and a health
advocacy program to explain advance directives. Equal emphasis is
given to both quantitative and qualitative data analysis with real
examples that make statistics and concepts in qualitative analysis
un-intimidating. By integrating both evaluation and research
methods and assuming no previous knowledge of research, this book
makes an excellent reference for professionals working in social
work and health settings who are now being called upon to conduct
or supervise program evaluation and may need a refresher on
research methods. With a pragmatic approach that includes survey
design, data collection methods, sampling, analysis, and report
writing, it is also an excellent text or classroom resource for
students new to the field of program evaluation.
At a time of increasing demands on budgets, governments around the
world are seeking to reduce health expenditure and introduce
market-oriented reforms to the health sector. This is leading to
profound shifts in the relationship between the state and the
individual, as policy makers dismantle the welfare state and move
towards a user-pays sytem.Health Policy in the Market State offers
an overview of health policy in Australia, locating it within the
broader context of power and interests analysis and shifts in
government policy and public sector restructuring. It outlines the
key issues in current health policy and assesses the strengths and
weaknesses of specific policies and programs.Contributors include
Ian Anderson and Maggie Brady, Mary Draper, Stephen Duckett, Liz
Eckerman, Sophie Hill, Sharon Moore, Michael Muetzelfeldt, Janine
Smith and Beth Wilson.Health Policy in the Market State is a
valuable overview for students, as well as a comprehensive
reference for health professionals and policy-makers.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is finally recognized as a common
neurodevelopmental disorder, and has gained increasingly high
social awareness and scientific interest worldwide. Knowledge of
its clinical presentation, mechanisms of disease, and available
treatment approaches has increased remarkably over the last decade.
Likewise, the way clinicians, teachers, social care workers and
families face the problems manifested by patients with TS is
rapidly evolving. Tourette Syndrome, edited by Davide Martino and
James F. Leckman, offers a unique opportunity to capture this
interesting momentum through a comprehensive and up-to-date
overview. Tourette Syndrome covers all of the main aspects related
to TS, analyzing the complexity of its clinical presentation, the
novel viewpoints of causes and mechanisms, the best way to assess
TS patients, and the multifaceted and multidisciplinary treatment
options. The multidisciplinary and up-to-date content is the main
asset of this volume, which represents a useful source of
consultation for a wide audience of professionals, all of whom will
have access to what is known so far on TS within their particular
area of expertise, at the same time being able to expand and update
their knowledge in other areas. Medical and PhD students, as well
as post-doctoral scientists, will be able to use the volume as a
valuable learning source. Also, questions for future research are
clearly presented in the volume, providing a summary of the
viewpoint of the contributing authors upon where research on TS
should be heading. Finally, clinicians and other health
professionals will have access at a glance to the main patients'
associations and organizations dedicated to TS worldwide, which can
facilitate the direct contact with patients.
Ever since the discovery of blood types early in the last century,
transfusion medicine has evolved at a breakneck pace. This second
edition of Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine is exactly what
you need to keep up. It combines scientific foundations with
today's most practical approaches to the specialty. From blood
collection and storage to testing and transfusing blood components,
and finally cellular engineering, you'll find coverage here that's
second to none. New advances in molecular genetics and the
scientific mechanisms underlying the field are also covered, with
an emphasis on the clinical implications for treatment. Whether
you're new to the field or an old pro, this book belongs in your
reference library. Integrates scientific foundations with clinical
relevance to more clearly explain the science and its application
to clinical practice. Highlights advances in the use of blood
products and new methods of disease treatment while providing the
most up-to-date information on these fast-moving topics Discusses
current clinical controversies, providing an arena for the
discussion of sensitive topics. Covers the constantly changing
approaches to stem cell transplantation and brings you the latest
information on this controversial topic.
"In Caring for Our Own, Sandra Levitsky has written a moving and
perceptive account of the dilemma facing those who provide care for
frail family members. Based on in-depth interviews and participant
observation with family caregivers and the social workers that
attempt to ameliorate their burden, this book uncovers the complex
ideological and political factors that have made long term care the
neglected stepchild of the welfare state in the United
States."-Jill Quadagno, Mildred and Claude Pepper Eminent Scholar
in Social Gerontology, Florida State University Aging populations
and dramatic changes in health care provision, household structure,
and women's labor force participation over the last half century
have created what many observers have dubbed a "crisis in care":
demand for care of the old and infirm is rapidly growing, while the
supply of private care within the family is substantially
contracting. And yet, despite the well-documented adverse effects
of contemporary care dilemmas on the economic security of families,
the physical and mental health of family care providers, the bottom
line of businesses, and the financial health of existing social
welfare programs, American families have demonstrated little
inclination for translating their private care problems into
political demands for social policy reform. Caring for Our Own
inverts an enduring question of social welfare politics. Rather
than asking why the American state hasn't responded to unmet social
welfare needs by expanding social entitlements, this book asks: Why
don't American families view unmet social welfare needs as the
basis for demands for new state entitlements? How do traditional
beliefs in family responsibility for social welfare persist even in
the face of well-documented unmet need? The answer, this book
argues, lies in a better understanding of how individuals imagine
solutions to the social welfare problems they confront and what
prevents new understandings of social welfare provision from
developing into political demand for alternative social
arrangements. Caring for Our Own considers the powerful ways in
which existing social policies shape the political imagination,
reinforcing longstanding values about family responsibility,
subverting grievances grounded in notions of social responsibility,
and in some rare cases, constructing new models of social provision
that would transcend existing ideological divisions in American
social politics.
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