Turbulent changes in worldwide economies and decreases in overall quality of life have led to a re-evaluation of the current state of health services. Improvements in this sector will allow for more efficient healthcare delivery to the public, as well as increased patient satisfaction. Effective Methods for Modern Healthcare Service Quality and Evaluation is an authoritative reference source for the latest research on emerging tools and methodologies for the design of healthcare models, providing expert analyses on trouble-shooting specific problems in the industry and creating optimal hospital environments. Highlighting various perspectives across a range of relevant health services, this book is ideally designed for policy makers, researchers, upper-level students, and practitioners.

Now available in paperback! In this first reference book devoted entirely to mortuary science, Szabo presents a thorough bibliographical examination of the funeral industry and related subjects, including even the most specialized area in the field. Most citations are annotated, with special notes on editions and reprints. Areas covered include autopsy, cremation, burial rites and ceremonies, caskets and vaults, cemeteries, embalming, epitaphs, ethnic customs, funeral dress and apparel, funeral music, funeral reform, grave markers, laws and regulations, liturgies and sermons, memorial societies, organ and body donation, premature burial, pre-need service, restorative art, and several others. The text is organized by subject, with author and title indexes. Five appendixes feature addresses for associations and organizations, information on schools of mortuary science, accreditation procedures and standards of the American Board of Funeral Service Education, periodicals in the field, and a list of state funeral service examining boards. Will be useful to students, librarians, and researchers as well as funeral service personnel.

Contains thorough explanations and descriptions
Offers clear informative diagrams and photographs
Aimed at pathologists in training, medical students, and mortuary technicians

Thoroughly revised 2nd edition includes the most recent guidance to an accurate mortem diagnosis from the Royal College of Pathologists and from the College of American Pathologists

What will become of our earthly remains? What happens to our bodies during and after the various forms of cadaver disposal available? Who controls the fate of human remains? What legal and moral constraints apply? Legal scholar Norman Cantor provides a graphic, informative, and entertaining exploration of these questions. "After We Die" chronicles not only a corpse's physical state but also its legal and moral status, including what rights, if any, the corpse possesses. In a claim sure to be controversial, Cantor argues that a corpse maintains a "quasi-human status" granting it certain protected rights - both legal and moral. One of a corpse's purported rights is to have its predecessor's disposal choices upheld. "After We Die" reviews unconventional ways in which a person can extend a personal legacy via their corpse's role in medical education, scientific research, or tissue transplantation. This underlines the importance of leaving instructions directing post-mortem disposal. Another cadaveric right is to be treated with respect and dignity. "After We Die" outlines the limits that "post-mortem human dignity" poses upon disposal options, particularly the use of a cadaver or its parts in educational or artistic displays. Contemporary illustrations of these complex issues abound. In 2007, the well-publicized death of Anna Nicole Smith highlighted the passions and disputes surrounding the handling of human remains. Similarly, following the 2003 death of baseball great Ted Williams, the family in-fighting and legal proceedings surrounding the corpse's proposed cryogenic disposal also raised contentious questions about the physical, legal, and ethical issues that emerge after we die. In the tradition of Sherwin Nuland's "How We Die", Cantor carefully and sensitively addresses the post-mortem handling of human remains.

Following Kate Marshall's first year in the mortuary at a north of England NHS hospital, with each month exploring the people she meets, in life and death, as well as her own growing awareness of life behind the veil. Meet Mr X Found in his apartment months after his death, Mr X has no relatives that can be traced. He is the longest-serving resident of the mortuary, having been there for almost a year while the search for his elusive family continues. The staff talk to him like an old friend, but Mr X is disintegrating and a decision has to be made soon. Meet Mary Her baby girl has been lost in the 15th week of pregnancy, Mary's last chance to have a child. Mary won't allow Abigail to leave the mortuary until she has finished reading a book to her. She visits twice each day, sitting with her baby, reading to her, speaking to no one, until she finally opens up to Kate. Meet Joe A loving husband and father who has died suddenly of a heart attack. Joe is visited by his wife, his children - and his mistress. On the day that all his worlds collide, Kate witnesses how death can finally reveal the truth of years of lies. Sorry for Your Loss is haunting, uplifting and informative, with many moments of laughter, and shows us that the way we approach death can make life all the more precious.

The autopsy is a central component of postgraduate training in pathology and remains an important part of medical practice today. Pathologists are now expected to possess a higher level of knowledge and understanding of the autopsy, the law surrounding it, and its clinical value, in an increasingly scrutinized and legislated environment. Autopsy practice can no longer be viewed in the absence of external contextual issues: it is vital that pathologists have solid grounding not only in standard technique, but also in such matters as personal health and safety to obtaining informed family consent, before undertaking an autopsy procedure. This new and revised edition of The Hospital Autopsy presents a clear and systematic approach to safe and effective modern autopsy practice. Like the extremely popular second edition, it begins by discussing issues of consent and mortuary design before going on to comprehensively cover external examination, evisceration, dissection of internal organs, and report writing. In this edition, new chapters have been added on the radiological autopsy, religious attitudes to autopsy, and the implications of high-risk infections for autopsy practice. Specialist techniques are covered in depth, and chapters are devoted to complex issues including perinatal autopsies, maternal deaths, and neuropathological examinations. The Hospital Autopsy, Third Edition, is sure to be an indispensable resource for pathologists in training, as well as a useful refresher for practicing pathologists and autopsy technicians.

Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. What would happen to an astronaut's body if it was pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral? In the tradition of Randall Munroe's What If?, Doughty's new book, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, blends her scientific understanding of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious and candid answers to thirty-five urgent questions posed by her youngest fans. Readers will learn what happens if you die on an airplane, the best soil for mummifying your dog and whether or not you can preserve your friend's skull as a keepsake. Featuring illustrations from Dianne Ruiz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? will delight anyone interested in the fascinating truth about what will happen (to our bodies) after we die.

Richard B Seager excavated the Minoan cemetery on Pseira, a small island off the northeast coast of Crete, in 1907, although this work was never published. More recently, the Temple University excavations (1985-1994) under the direction of Philip P Betancourt and Costis Davaras conducted an intensive surface survey of the cemetery area, cleaned and drew plans of all the visible tombs, and excavated tombs that had not been previously investigated. The results of these new excavations are published in two volumes. This volume, Pseira VI, covers the methodology that was employed in the investigation, the topography of the cemetery area, details of Seager's campaign, the ceramic petrography for the cemetery pottery, and the results of the intensive surface survey. The survey showed that the cemetery was first used in the Neolithic period, and that it was abandoned in Middle Minoan II, before the expansion of the nearby town in the Late Minoan I period. It also demonstrated that the cemetery was larger than the area suggested by Seager, and that the funerary customs included burial in jars, even though no examples of this burial type have been excavated.

Richard B. Seager excavated the Minoan cemetery at Pseira in 1907, but the work was never published. The Temple University excavations (1985-1994) under the direction of Philip P. Betancourt and Costis Davaras conducted an intensive surface survey of the cemetery area, cleaned and drew plans of all visible tombs, and excavated tombs that had not been previously excavated. The results of the cemetery excavations on the small island off the northeast coast of Crete are published in two volumes. Pseira VII presents the results from the excavation and cleaning of the 19 tombs that still exist at the Pseira cemetery. The cemetery is remarkable for the diversity of its tomb types. Burials were in cist graves built of vertical slabs (a class with Cycladic parallels), in small tombs constructed of fieldstones, in house tombs, and in jars. Burials were communal, as is usual in Minoan cemeteries. Artifacts included clay vases, stone vessels, obsidian, bronze tools, jewelry, and other objects.

Master the skills you need to succeed in the classroom and as a health care professional! Filled with tips and strategies, Career Development for Health Professionals, 4th Edition provides the skills required to achieve four important goals: 1) complete your educational program, 2) think like a health care professional, 3) find the right jobs, and 4) attain long-term career success. This edition includes a new chapter on professionalism and online activities challenging you to apply what you've learned. Written by respected educator Lee Haroun, this practical resource helps you maximize your potential and grow into a competent, caring, well-rounded member of the health care team. Self-paced format with interactive exercises, stop-and-think review, and end-of-chapter quizzes allows you to work through the text independently. Conversational, easy-to-read style helps you understand concepts and skills by delivering information in small, easily absorbed chunks. Chapter objectives and key terms at the beginning of each chapter preview the material to be learned while reading the chapter. UPDATED on-the-job strategies and Success Tips focus on professional certification exams, the use of social media, general job requirements, online classroom learning, employment laws, and necessary skills and National Health Care Skill Standards. Prescriptions for Success and Resume Building Blocks emphasize the importance of a resume and how it is a 'work in progress' from the first day of a student's education.Prescription for Success exercises let you apply what you've learned to on-the-job situations. Useful Spanish Phrases appendix provides a quick reference for translations that will prove valuable in today's workplace. Student resources on the Evolve companion website include activities providing a chance to use critical thinking skills and apply content to health care jobs. NEW Becoming a Professional chapter defines professionalism as it relates to health care occupations, emphasizes its importance, and presents examples of professionals in action. NEW! Full-color photos and illustrations bring concepts and health care skills to life. NEW case studies offer a real-life look into school, job-search, and on-the-job situations. NEW study and job-search strategies explain how to study for classes, job applications, resumes and resume trends, guidelines to preparing different types of resumes (print, scannable, plain text, and e-mail versions), protecting against job scams, online job searching, and preparing for the job interview. NEW reference chart on the inside front cover provides an outline to the book's content, making it easy to find the information you need.

A day in the life of Carla Valentine - curator, pathology technician and 'death professional' - is not your average day. She spent ten years training and working as an Anatomical Pathology Technologist: where the mortuary slab was her desk, and that day's corpses her task list. Past Mortems tells Carla's stories of those years, as well as investigating the body alongside our attitudes towards death - shedding light on what the living can learn from dead and the toll the work can take on the living souls who carry it out. Fascinating and insightful, Past Mortems reveals the truth about what happens when the mortuary doors swing shut or the lid of the coffin closes ...

'A seriously eye-opening memoir' - Sunday Sport In 1985, Peter Everett landed the job as Superintendent of Southwark Mortuary. In just six years he'd gone from lowly assistant to running the UK's busiest murder morgue. He couldn't believe his luck. What he didn't know was that Southwark, operating in near-Victorian conditions, was a hotbed of corruption. Attendants stole from the dead, funeral homes paid bribes, and there was a lively trade in stolen body parts and recycled coffins. Set in the fascinating pre-DNA and psychological profiling years of 1985-87, this memoir tells a gripping and gruesome tale, with a unique insight into a world of death most of us don't ever see. Peter managed pathologists, oversaw post mortems and worked alongside Scotland Yard's Murder Squad - including on the case of the serial killer, the Stockwell Strangler. This is a thrilling tale of murder and corruption in the mid-1980s, told with insight and compassion.

Contains thorough explanations and descriptions
Offers clear informative diagrams and photographs
Aimed at pathologists in training, medical students, and mortuary technicians

Thoroughly revised 2nd edition includes the most recent guidance to an accurate mortem diagnosis from the Royal College of Pathologists and from the College of American Pathologists

Perfect for everyday reference, on-the-job training, or education, this handy pocket guide includes a wealth of information you need to succeed in health unit coordinating. This new edition includes even more lists and tables containing step-by-step procedures, practical tips, bulleted lists, and thumb tabs for quick reference! Includes practical tips for carrying out job responsibilities in the work environment. Find information on both paper charts and electronic medical records in the Maintaining the Patient's Chart chapter. Step-By-Step Procedures provide a quick guide to your daily tasks. Transcribing Doctors' Orders chapter provides instructions on transcription and recognizing the many types of orders. Staying organized is easy with a personal record-keeping section that includes telephone number and time management pages. More lists and tables make finding information quick and easy. Add your own notes on the blank pages provided in the back of the guide. Two appendices - Medical/Diagnostic/Surgical Terms and Commonly Ordered Medications - provide even more practical information on topics you'll see in practice.

London, 1868: visiting Australian Aboriginal cricketer Charles Rose has died in Guy's Hospital. What happened next is shrouded in mystery. The only certainty is that Charles Rose's body did not go directly to a grave. Written with clarity and verve, and drawing on a rich array of material, Possessing the Dead explores the disturbing history of the cadaver trade in Scotland, England and Australia, where laws once gave certain officials possession of the dead, and no corpse lying in a workhouse, hospital, asylum or gaol was entirely safe from interference. With a rare blend of curiosity, delight in the unexpected and an eye for detail, award-winning historian Helen MacDonald brings to life this gruesome past to reveal the chicanery at play behind the procuring of bodies for dissections, autopsies and collections.

Michelle Williams is young and attractive, she has close family ties as well as a busy social life - but she is far from usual. She is a mortuary technician and her job involves dealing with those things in life that many people do not wish to experience directly. Yet life in the mortuary is neither gruesome nor sad. Told with good humour and common sense, we are introduced to a host of characters - the pathologists, many of them eccentric, some downright mad; the undertakers, the hospital porters and the man from the coroner's office who sings to Michelle every morning. The incidents too ensure that no two days are ever the same. From the tragic to the hilarious they include: The fitness fanatic who was run over as he did pressups in the road on a dark night The decapitated motorcyclist The guide dog who led his owner on to the railway tracks - and left him there The forty stone man for whom an entire refrigerated lorry had to be hired because he wouldn't fit in the mortuary cooler Over the course of her first year Michelle has to deal with situations and emotions that few of us will ever experience, and does so while retaining a sense of humour and a sense of perspective.

Being There is a collection of photographic portraits of, and interviews with, NYU medical students who volunteered in the New York City Medical Examiner's morgue following 9/11, conducted by Barry Goldstein, and with a foreword by Charles Hirsch M.D., the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York, who ran the massive effort to identify remains. Within 24 hours of the attacks, a complex of tents and refrigerated trucks appeared on 30th St. and 1st Ave, adjacent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). This makeshift compound housed the temporary morgues that would receive human remains recovered from Ground Zero. Approximately twenty NYU medical students volunteered to work alongside the understaffed OCME, sorting, cataloguing, and identifying human remains. Most of these students had been in medical school for only a few weeks. In June of 2002, Dr. Goldstein photographed and interviewed the volunteers, asking them to describe what they did, what they would remember, how they coped, and how they were changed by the experience. Barry M. Goldstein is associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, and associate professor of medical humanities at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and adjunct professor of humanism in medicine at NYU School of Medicine. He was Artist-in-Residence at the NYU School of Medicine during the 2001-2002 academic year.

"The impressive geographical, temporal, and topical coverage makes this volume by far the best of its kind to appear in recent years."--George R. Milner, Pennsylvania State University "A kaleidoscopic collection of studies with fascinating insights into the myriad and bizarre ways that our species has treated its dead ... global coverage of human interactions with our dead, past and present ... an indispensable reference for all scholars interested in death and burial."--Michael Parker Pearson, University of Sheffield This collection explores the behavioral and social facets of funerary, mortuary, and burial rites in both past and present societies. By utilizing data from around the world and combining recent and ongoing concerns in anthropology, it takes the study of mortuary archaeology to a new and significant level of interdisciplinary research. Drawing inspiration from ethnohistory, ethnography, bioarchaeology, and sociocultural anthropology, the authors focus on themes of gender, ancestorhood, ritual violence, individual agency, space and placement, and extended and secondary mortuary ceremonialism. They also expand the interdisciplinary focus of mortuary practices and reassess previous anthropological theories. No previously published work on the archaeology of mortuary remains presents such a range of examples of ritual practices through time and around the globe. Because of its wide scope and interdisciplinary approach, Interacting with the Dead will be indispensable not only to archaeologists and anthropologists but also across the social sciences and humanities and to all who study cross-cultural rituals.