Plastics have occupied an important place in the modern medical industry. It has substituted traditional devices and products made of metal, other materials, and ceramics. Over recent years, increased reliance on transparent plastic pharmaceutical and medical products has produced remarkable breakthroughs that improve medical attention delivery and allow it to be more comfortable for the masses to live better and longer lives. The purpose of this handbook is to provide a strategic perspective on the market to identify opportunities for growth and promising niches in the medical plastics market. It also helps in analyzing emerging trends in medical plastics to facilitate new product development. The medical plastics market is a new field with a broad scope and unending opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers and medical practitioners from healthcare. With a combination of the right material and technology, it has a lot to offer to the patients with affordable pricing. By keeping the worth of the medical plastics market in mind, we have set some objectives. This book identifies growth factors in the medical plastics market and analyzes critical factors of success to compete. The author presents background on the medical plastics market by its usage, products, processes, and innovation. He also reviews existing studies on the medical plastics market for topics like market size, market growth, segment growth, and geographic markets.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to develop a better and sustainable future for the world, and the goals are part of an action plan to address poverty, hunger, health, gender equity and various pressing world issues. One of these goals looks at health and wellness. Ageing populations have become a crucial issue worldwide, and this short monograph explores ageing and how the consequences of an ageing population may affect our healthcare system through a case study on Hong Kong's population. The book looks at several critical health issues related to ageing. The elderly, particularly those with low socio-economic status, rely more on acute-centric care rather than primary care. The book suggests that secondary care service may only be effective to a limited extent as a healthcare measure and an optimum healthcare system should be one that focuses on primary care. The authors put forth a compelling argument for disease prevention and screening schemes and explain how they are more cost-effective and beneficial to society and the system. This thoughtful book will provide beneficial insights into the relationship of ageing and Sustainable Development Goals in the context of health and wellness for policymakers and healthcare professionals. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

* Designed to help public organizations parse the new and emerging forms of public partnerships and to develop the skills needed to manage them * Explores the many different forms of collaboration in government, both formal and informal, including strategic alliances, intergovernmental networks, and public-private partnerships * Offers examples of how partnerships have been used in real public organizations, providing the reader with an understanding of how to apply them in a variety of contexts, as well as lessons that may be gleaned from the successes (and failures) of these collaborative models.

Underlining the relationship between the public and nonprofit sectors, Effective Nonprofit Management: Context, Concepts, and Competencies, 2nd Edition comprehensively explores of the practical art of forming, managing, and leading nonprofit organizations, contextualizing the changing socio-political conditions and expectations of key stakeholders in nonprofit organizations. Grounded in the practical experiences of real-life nonprofit managers, this thoroughly revised second edition explores contemporary issues that are becoming central to effective nonprofit management, including: an increasing emphasis on outcome assessment and accountability; innovative use of social media; big foundations' impacts on nonprofits and public policy making; tensions between federal, state, and local governments with nonprofits; and the importance of instilling a culture of ethics in the sector. A completely new chapter on nonprofit ethics and accountability has been added. Each chapter introduces the reader to relevant and current scholarship on the topic, utilizes the language of nonprofit practice, explores contemporary issues and examples, provides practical tips, includes text boxes with profiles of nonprofit organizations and best practices, and ends with a short and practical case study followed by discussion questions. Effective Nonprofit Management, Second Edition will be of interest to practitioners as well as graduate and upper division undergraduate students enrolled in nonprofit and public management courses.

This book investigates the history, development, and current state of anti-corruption agencies in Latin America. In recent decades, specialized anti-corruption agencies have sprung up as countries seek to respond to corruption and to counter administrative and political challenges. However, the characteristics, resources, power, and performance of these agencies reflect the political and economic environment in which they operate. This book draws on a range of case studies from across Latin America, considering both national anti-corruption bodies and agencies created and administered by, or in close coordination with, international organizations. Together, these stories demonstrate the importance of the political will of reformers, the private interests of key actors, the organizational space of other agencies, the position of advocacy groups, and the level of support from the public at large. This book will be a key resource for researchers across political science, corruption studies, development, and Latin American Studies. It will also be a valuable guide for policy makers and professionals in NGOs and international organizations working on anti-corruption advocacy and policy advice.

The book is a research monograph which contains high-level research by leading experts in waqf and charitable endowment. The subject has international appeal in jurisdictions having Islamic financial institutions and this includes all countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in particular, and Africa at large, some leading countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia The book will be useful for all institutions across the world having charitable endowments, social finance, and Islamic finance curriculum Experts involved in charitable endowments and global Non-governmental organizations and humanitarian groups will also find the book very useful The editors were formally affiliated with the Harvard Law School at some time during their careers and some of the contributors are leading experts in Islamic social finance. One of the contributors is a recipient of the prestigious Islamic Development Bank Prize in Islamic Economics.

Local government plays a critical role in the provision of governance, infrastructure, and services for local communities. Over the past 30 years this sector has undergone significant reforms because of various superordinate governments policy changes. Continuous improvement and quality programs have been a common tactical response undertaken by various local government organisations to remain sustainable and to continue to deliver value to their local communities. These tactical responses have had varying levels of success. This book seeks to go beyond a tactical focus and uncover the kinds of continuous improvement practices that are enacted in various local government contexts. A focus on practices enables practitioners and researchers alike to gain insights that to go beyond approaches which privilege the application of CI tools over the contextualisation of CI programs. Contextualisation affords the insightful deployment of programs that are specific to the needs and dynamics of local communities and operations. The cases presented share insights on aspects of CI including: embedding performance measurement; harnessing learning; contextualising CI activities to support the ongoing sustainability of these practices. Researchers and practitioners alike can draw benefit from the grounded industry base experiences and insights shared in the book.

The past two decades have witnessed far-reaching socioeconomic and political changes in Asia, such as the growing intraregional flows of capital, goods, people, and knowledge, the rise of China as the world's second largest economy, and its increasing influence in Southeast Asia, intensified US-China confrontations in the global arena, and the onslaught of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Focusing on multidimensional interactions (including geopolitical and economic relationships, diaspora engagement, and knowledge exchange) between China and Southeast Asia, this book argues that an interwoven perspective of the political economy, transnational governance, and regional networks serves as an effective analytical framework for deciphering these transformations as well as their global and theoretical implications. Drawing upon a wide range of primary data and engaging with the latest interdisciplinary scholarship on contemporary Asia, this book's thought-provoking and nuanced analyses will appeal to scholars and students in Chinese and Southeast Asian studies, international political economy, international relationships, ethnic and migration studies, and public governance.

This book represents a powerful analysis of the challenges of metropolitan governance in all its messiness and complexity. It examines Latin American metropolitan governance by focusing on the issue of public service provision and comparatively examining five of the largest and most complex urban agglomerations in the region: Buenos Aires, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City and Santiago. The volume identifies and discusses the most pressing challenges associated with metropolitan coordination and the coverage, quality and financial sustainability of service delivery. It also reveals a number of spatial inequalities associated with inadequate provision, which may perpetuate poverty and other inequalities. Metropolitan Governance in Latin America will be valuable reading for advanced students, researchers and policymakers tackling themes of urban planning, spatial inequality, public service provision and Latin American urban development.

* Designed to help public organizations parse the new and emerging forms of public partnerships and to develop the skills needed to manage them * Explores the many different forms of collaboration in government, both formal and informal, including strategic alliances, intergovernmental networks, and public-private partnerships * Offers examples of how partnerships have been used in real public organizations, providing the reader with an understanding of how to apply them in a variety of contexts, as well as lessons that may be gleaned from the successes (and failures) of these collaborative models.

A public-private partnership (PPP) is a contractual arrangement with appropriate risk sharing between public and private partners for the delivery of public infrastructure or services, which is intended to create value-for-money to the taxpayer. The Routledge Companion to Public-Private Partnerships provides a cutting-edge survey of the field. PPPs remain a highly controversial subject matter globally and this comprehensive and authoritative volume provides a terrific compendium of information for students and scholars charged with understanding, critiquing and advancing this model. With sections devoted to legal aspects, institutional economics perspectives, finance and accountability - the editors draw together an impressive range of contributors from around the world.

Illustrates, in a very clear and practical manner, models and tools to analyse and improve healthcare production processes. Each chapter includes teaching cases, from different countries and settings, to help readers better understand the practical implications of the adoption of certain organizational models or managerial solutions (e.g. lean model). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need to redesign healthcare production processes to become more efficient, responsive and flexible. Focuses on the organizational conditions required to successfully implement operations management change plans.

This book is a practical guide for individuals responsible for creating products that are safe, effective, usable, and satisfying in the hands of the intended users. The contents are intended to reduce the number of use errors involving medical devices that have led to injuries and deaths. The book presents the strong connection between user interface requirements and risk management for medical devices and instructs readers how to develop specific requirements that are sufficiently comprehensive and detailed to produce good results - a user-friendly product that is likely to be used correctly. The book's tutorial content is complemented by many real-world examples of user interface requirements, including ones pertaining to an inhaler, automated external defibrillator, medical robot, and mobile app that a patient might use to manage her diabetes. The book is intended for people representing a variety of product development disciplines who have responsibility for producing safe, effective, usable, and satisfying medical devices, including those who are studying or working in human factors engineering, psychology, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, systems engineering, software programming, technical writing, industrial design, graphic design, and regulatory affairs.

This book is a practical guide for individuals responsible for creating products that are safe, effective, usable, and satisfying in the hands of the intended users. The contents are intended to reduce the number of use errors involving medical devices that have led to injuries and deaths. The book presents the strong connection between user interface requirements and risk management for medical devices and instructs readers how to develop specific requirements that are sufficiently comprehensive and detailed to produce good results - a user-friendly product that is likely to be used correctly. The book's tutorial content is complemented by many real-world examples of user interface requirements, including ones pertaining to an inhaler, automated external defibrillator, medical robot, and mobile app that a patient might use to manage her diabetes. The book is intended for people representing a variety of product development disciplines who have responsibility for producing safe, effective, usable, and satisfying medical devices, including those who are studying or working in human factors engineering, psychology, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, systems engineering, software programming, technical writing, industrial design, graphic design, and regulatory affairs.

The first book of its kind to offer concrete, experienced guidance, tips, and general best practices in public affairs and nonprofit undergraduate education from those who have 'been there,' with chapters written by current and former program administrators and directors. Explores the variety of programs that are offered in public and nonprofit affairs/administration, the different degree components and specializations, and types of experiential learning. Provides a careful account of different assessment and outcome practices, the value of accelerated degree programs, the current place of accreditation, and the appropriate resources available for program directors and administrators.

The book offers an in-depth analysis of the challenges of establishing authority within collaborative efforts. It introduces the concept of cumulative authority, arguing that communicating authority effectively is key to the creation and success of collaborations. Rice uses a communication-as-constitutive of organizations perspective to reconsider organizational authority, typically thought of in terms of leadership, as instead negotiated in communication among collaboration members as they attempt to influence the collaboration's direction. Drawing from an extensive two-year case study of emergency management collaborations, the book traces potential influences on collaborative authority, including members' knowledge and expertise, organizational structures and hierarchies, and the material world, including documents, technologies, and the natural environment. This book is a valuable empirical resource for organizational communication and management students and scholars. It will also appeal to community collaborators and organizers, and contains advice and reflection questions for practitioners.

Focuses on new machine learning developments that can lead to newly developed applications Uses a predictive and futuristic approach which makes Machine Learning a promising tool for business processes and sustainable solutions Promotes newer algorithms which are more efficient and reliable for a new dimension in discovering certain latent domains of applications Discusses the huge potential in making better use of machines in order to ensure optimal prediction, execution, and decision-making Offers many real-time case studies

Issues surrounding business complexity plague organizations throughout the world. This situation is particularly true of the numerous complex projects and programs upon which organizations embark on a regular basis. Current project management processes and standards are based on Newtonian/Cartesian principles, such as linearity, reductionism, and single source problem causation. However, complex projects exhibit both Newtonian/Cartesian characteristics and complex systems characteristics, such as emergence, self-organization, non-linearity, non-reductionism, and multi-source problem causation. To conduct successful projects, complementary ways of approaching projects are required, and new competencies for those who manage projects and for those on project teams are required as well. There are a number of books available to help project managers and teams address the issue of systems behavior. However, there are none that approach complex projects from a neuroscience-based approach to human behavior and ambiguity. This book does exactly that in order to reduce project complexity and thereby increase the probability of project success. Cognitive Readiness in Project Teams looks to the concept of cognitive readiness (CR), first developed by the United States Department of Defense to better prepare and manage teams of individuals in complex battlefield situations. Its intent is to make project managers and teams more focused, responsive, resilient and adaptive through self-mastery and the mastering of interpersonal relationships. It introduces a CR framework for project managers and teams. This framework has neuroscience fundamentals and theorems as the foundation for the three pillars of CR: mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and social intelligence. The book is a compendium of chapters written by renowned authors in the fields of project management, neuroscience, mindfulness, and emotional and social intelligence.

A multiplicity of factors converging together suggest the long term/post-acute care (LTPAC) provider community (e.g. nursing homes, behavioral health facilities, home health agencies, etc.) will accelerate in importance within the healthcare ecosystem during the next few years. The challenge for many LTPAC providers in this emerging environment will be to advance their clinical health information technologies (health IT) capabilities in order to "play" with other providers in the healthcare "sandbox." This book is designed to assist LTPAC leaders in identifying and exploring the array of critical issues one needs to consider in order to operate within an advanced clinical health IT ecosystem. This book surveys key issues surrounding the use of clinical health IT in LTPAC settings, to include providing readers with a suggested strategic plan and roadmap for selecting and installing digital health technologies in LTPAC organizations. Though the focus of the book primarily centers on the U.S. LTPAC provider's experience, the authors also spend time addressing global and future LTPAC considerations.

Medical practice and research are inconceivable today without electronic computing and communication tools. Digital machines do many tasks orders-of-magnitude better, faster and more accurately than humans. Still, there are functions critical to the healthcare endeavor that people do much better than machines, things like: understanding and using natural language; perceiving what is unexpressed; taking into account values, culture, ethics, and human relationships; touching and healing. For the foreseeable future, the "smartest" computers will be no match for human beings when it comes to performing these most anthropic functions. American healthcare is at a critical juncture. Providers and patients are increasingly frustrated by degradation of the human relationships that lie at the core of the medical practice. Technologies, such as the computerized medical record, get much of the blame for intrusion into the patient-provider relationship. However, it is not technology itself that is to blame. The fault lies with how systems are conceived, designed, and deployed. This book analyzes how to organize the work of healthcare in a way that uses machines to do what they do best, thereby freeing humans to do what we do best. Smart use of electronic technology is crucial to the success of any bid to fulfill the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's triple aim to make healthcare more effective, efficient, and humane.

The CMIO Survival Guide is the handbook for the new Chief Medical Information Officer, as well as for those recruiting or planning to recruit a CMIO. This quick reference is organized by real-world topics that CMIOs need to know, as well as the criteria that the CIO, CMO or CEO should consider in identifying excellence in a CMIO candidate. It is written by pioneering physicians and AMDIS faculty with a wealth of experience in medical informatics who provide guidance, advice and lessons learned for those interested in this relatively new role in healthcare. This second edition updates every chapter in the original work and adds new chapters to address the changes in healthcare delivery, the role of the physician executive, technology, medical education, small and rural hospitals.

Healthcare IT is a complex and rapidly evolving field. Success in this arena requires the ability to create a vision, set a strategy, foster collaboration, develop a plan and execute flawlessly every day. This book provides a clear, concise roadmap for professionals who currently manage, direct or oversee healthcare IT. Through case studies and examples, the author includes highly relevant topics such as delivering and communicating HIT values, managing information security, and connectivity challenges, as well as organizational strategy, alignment and vision of HIT, risk management, performance management and process improvement using Lean methodologies.

Winner of a 2016 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award! A recent article published in the Journal of Patient Safety estimated that more than 400,000 lives are lost each year due to preventable patient events in American hospitals. Preventable patient safety events are the third leading cause of death in the United States. While most health care organizations know they need to improve patient safety, most lack an understanding of the steps required to develop and implement an effective patient safety program. Baylor Scott & White Health has successfully created a strong culture of patient safety. In 2013, Baylor Health Care System published the book Achieving STEEEP Health Care, which describes its quality improvement journey via the STEEEP framework of delivering care that is Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable, and Patient-centered. This book provides a detailed overview of the Baylor Scott & White Health approach to the delivery of safe care, the leading aim of the STEEEP quality and patient safety framework. It presents real-life examples, practical approaches, and tools for improving patient safety. The book is structured around some of the key components of patient safety such as the importance of strategic efforts in categories of culture, processes, and technology. Maintaining a focus on human factors in patient safety and health care, the book explains the need for advanced analytics along with long-term learning and corporate resources. This book describes how to develop appropriate goals, formulate strategies to meet those goals, and implement techniques to improve patient safety based on the experience of Baylor Scott & White Health.

While many health care organizations need to improve health care quality and lower costs, most lack specific strategies and tactics for implementing these changes. Baylor Scott & White Health has established and continues to develop an accountable care organization (ACO) called the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance (BSWQA) to improve the quality of care and decrease health care costs through clinical integration. Accountable: The Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance Accountable Care Journey tells the story of the BSWQA and its clinical network and payers who are committed to delivering accountable, value-based patient care. It describes the need for ACOs in today's health care environment and details the framework and requirements needed to establish one. The book provides readers with essential background information about accountable care, including the Triple Aim and population health management. It outlines the infrastructure and governance framework needed to establish a successful ACO and supplies real-world examples from the ACO owned by Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas. The book explores the concept of accountability for all stakeholders in today's complex care systems, as well as the role of personal and organizational accountability in managing patient populations. It also includes detailed outlines to guide you in developing your own accountable care organization-from step-by-step details of legal requirements to an outline of the role of payers in this model.

As healthcare moves from volume to value, payment models and delivery systems will need to change their focus from the individual patient to a population orientation. This will move our economic model from that of a "sick system" to a system of care focused on prevention, boosting patient engagement, and reducing medical expenditures. This new focus will shift traditional financial accountability from the payer model to provider directed models. Population Health: An Implementation Guide to Improve Outcomes and Lower Costs covers not only the rationale for this transition, but also outlines successful practice models that are built to thrive in these new market dynamics. Besides the philosophical and the cultural aspects of these new models, it details the implementation and strategic initiatives required to succeed in today's value- and population-oriented healthcare environment. Describing what population health is, the book explains why it represents an opportunity for healthcare delivery systems, public health agencies, community-based organizations, and other entities to work together to improve health outcomes in the communities they serve. The book clarifies how the new models will impact healthcare providers, how to manage populations, and how to handle the risk factors involved. It details new delivery models, such as primary care and medical neighborhoods, and outlines the value proposition of screening and prevention in assigned populations.