A collection of short stories about the experiences of young people around the world who are dealing with such health issues as diabetes, cancer, malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, and mental and behavioral disorders.
Storytelling is an essential tool for reporting and illuminating the cultural contexts of health: the practices and behavior that groups of people share and that are defined by customs, language, and geography. This report reviews the literature on narrative research, offers some quality criteria for appraising it, and gives three detailed case examples: diet and nutrition, well-being, and mental health in refugees and asylum seekers. Storytelling and story interpretation belong to the humanistic disciplines and are not a pure science, although established techniques of social science can be applied to ensure rigor in sampling and data analysis. The case studies illustrate how narrative research can convey the individual experience of illness and well-being, thereby complementing and sometimes challenging epidemiological and public health evidence.
Bringing together the experience, perspective and expertise of Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Arthur Kleinman, Reimagining Global Health provides an original, compelling introduction to the field of global health. Drawn from a Harvard course developed by their student Matthew Basilico, this work provides an accessible and engaging framework for the study of global health. Insisting on an approach that is historically deep and geographically broad, the authors underline the importance of a transdisciplinary approach, and offer a highly readable distillation of several historical and ethnographic perspectives of contemporary global health problems. The case studies presented throughout Reimagining Global Health bring together ethnographic, theoretical, and historical perspectives into a wholly new and exciting investigation of global health. The interdisciplinary approach outlined in this text should prove useful not only in schools of public health, nursing, and medicine, but also in undergraduate and graduate classes in anthropology, sociology, political economy, and history, among others.
DIVShows how narratives of contagion structure communities of belonging and how the lessons of these narratives are incorporated into sociological theories of cultural transmission and community formation./div
Millions of people experience stress in their lives, and this is even more prevalent in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether this stress stems from a job loss or a fear of sickness from working with the public, stress has reigned throughout the pandemic. However, stress is more complicated than being simply a “bad feeling.” Stress can impact both mental and physical wellbeing. Using Narrative Writing to Enhance Healing During and After Global Health Crises is a critical reference that discusses therapeutic writing and offers it as a simple solution for those who are at the highest risk of poor health. This book covers multiple writing narratives on diverse topics and how they aid with stress after the COVID-19 pandemic. Including topics such as anxiety, health coaching, and leadership, this book is essential for teachers, community leadership, physical and emotional therapists, healthcare workers, teachers, faculty of both K-12 and higher education, members of church communities, students, academicians, and any researchers interested in using writing as a healing process.
A sweeping history explores why people living in resource-poor areas lack access to basic health care after billions of dollars have been invested in international-health assistance. Over the past century, hundreds of billions of dollars have been invested in programs aimed at improving health on a global scale. Given the enormous scale and complexity of these lifesaving operations, why do millions of people in low-income countries continue to live without access to basic health services, sanitation, or clean water? And why are deadly diseases like Ebola able to spread so quickly among populations? In A History of Global Health, Randall M. Packard argues that global-health initiatives have saved millions of lives but have had limited impact on the overall health of people living in underdeveloped areas, where health-care workers are poorly paid, infrastructure and basic supplies such as disposable gloves, syringes, and bandages are lacking, and little effort has been made to address the underlying social and economic determinants of ill health. Global-health campaigns have relied on the application of biomedical technologies—vaccines, insecticide-treated nets, vitamin A capsules—to attack specific health problems but have failed to invest in building lasting infrastructure for managing the ongoing health problems of local populations. Designed to be read and taught, the book offers a critical historical view, providing historians, policy makers, researchers, program managers, and students with an essential new perspective on the formation and implementation of global-health policies and practices.
Comprehensive overview of illness narratives in practice, divided into eight distinct parts. The clear layout allows the readers to focus on the area essential to them and get a comprehensive overview and reflective stance of narratives in that field.
"The narratives in this book offer rare and much-needed insight into the lived experiences and contributions of the largest cadre of global health workers: The nurses who have dedicated their careers and their lives to serving the world's poor." --Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Kolokotrones University Professor Harvard University; Co-Founder, Partners in Health Global health nursing--as a career or as a time-limited experience in personal and professional growth--is a rapidly growing specialty area. This unique book presents firsthand accounts from nurses at all professional levels, who share their life-changing experiences and insights with nurses interested in the global health arena. Written with compassion and humor, their stories emphasize the practical, challenging, and rewarding aspects of global health nursing. Contributors describe their motivation for working in global health, along with the rewards and challenges. The authors discuss the importance of approaching global nursing with humility, respect, and appreciation for what they will learn from their colleagues. They describe how global health work has enhanced their ability to provide quality care to diverse populations, which include recent immigrants living in the United States. In addition to these vivid accounts, the book discusses the parameters of global health nursing, how to prepare for this nursing experience, key resources, global nursing research, and nurses as global health consultants. Woven throughout the book are descriptions of how these nurses have encouraged--through teaching and mentoring--the next generation of global health nurses. The book also provides coverage of domestic global health initiatives. Key Features: Presents firsthand accounts of the practical, challenging, and rewarding aspects of global health nursing Describes assumptions challenged and lessons learned Written for nurses at all stages of professional life Discusses varied opportunities in global health nursing, which includes research and consulting Covers domestic global health initiatives Assists faculty to prepare themselves and their students for global health endeavors