The United States, as well as both developed and underdeveloped countries around the world, grapple with escalating healthcare costs. The number of healthcare consumers is increasing worldwide, and while most of such an increase tilts the demographic curve toward younger age groups, older age cohorts are also increasing. These older age cohorts are particularly noticeable in developed countries where useful scientific progress has evolved substantial and extensive healthcare technologies. Access to such expensive technologies has both been widely sought and become available to healthcare consumers. This book offers prescient insights upon various ways to diminish healthcare expenses.
Sustainable Healthcare sets out a vision for medical care of high quality, manageable cost and low impact on the planetary systems which sustain us. In tackling the major challenges of our age, such as resource depletion, loss of biodiversity and climate change, health services can play a central role, moving from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution. Sustainable Healthcare explores questions such as: What is the relevance of sustainability in healthcare? How does climate change threaten human health? How can we create low carbon care pathways? How can healthcare organizations deal better with their waste? How can death and dying become more sustainable? How can we engage ourselves and others with this agenda? Written by an international team combining clinical, educational, practical and policy expertise in sustainability and health, this book provides a synopsis of our current predicaments, and explores some of the emerging solutions. Containing case studies and resources for further information and action, Sustainable Healthcare is a practical guide to making healthcare more sustainable for all healthcare professionals, managers and students. "Once in a while one comes across a book that makes a deep impact. Sustainable Healthcare is such a book and very timely in the context of modern healthcare and developing green policies.... The book is clear in ideas of critical thinking, scientific evidence and practical suggestions for transformative action.... An additional strength in this book are the summary key papers and reports including key points from the chapters. In addition, there is a comprehensive list of references in each chapter.... The authors cut through the jargon and challenge the rhetoric of both fear and denial.... The authors give examples of how we can engage with sustainability such as, diet and exercise, prescription management, contraception management and family planning and end of life care.... The book provides useful sources, references and key actions for individuals, healthcare organisations and policy making departments." —A review by Prof Davinder Sandhu, Postgraduate Dean, Health Education South West, Severn Deanery, UK
Great progress has been made in recent years in securing better access and financial protection against the cost of illness through collective financing of health care. Managing scarce resources effectively and efficiently is an important part of this story. Experience has shown that, without strategic policies and focused spending, the poor are likely to get left out. The use of purchasing to enhance public sector performance is well-documented in other sectors. Extension to the health sector of lessons from this experience is now successfully implemented in many developing countries. Public.
In 2015, building on the advances of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations adopted Sustainable Development Goals that include an explicit commitment to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. However, enormous gaps remain between what is achievable in human health and where global health stands today, and progress has been both incomplete and unevenly distributed. In order to meet this goal, a deliberate and comprehensive effort is needed to improve the quality of health care services globally. Crossing the Global Quality Chasm: Improving Health Care Worldwide focuses on one particular shortfall in health care affecting global populations: defects in the quality of care. This study reviews the available evidence on the quality of care worldwide and makes recommendations to improve health care quality globally while expanding access to preventive and therapeutic services, with a focus in low-resource areas. Crossing the Global Quality Chasm emphasizes the organization and delivery of safe and effective care at the patient/provider interface. This study explores issues of access to services and commodities, effectiveness, safety, efficiency, and equity. Focusing on front line service delivery that can directly impact health outcomes for individuals and populations, this book will be an essential guide for key stakeholders, governments, donors, health systems, and others involved in health care.
Antibiotic resistance threatens the effective prevention and treatment of infections. Antimicrobial Stewardship provides a practical guide on this growing area, supported by the review of the available evidence, including example case studies.
The National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, published in 2014, sets out a plan for government work to mitigate the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Direction on the implementation of this strategy is provided in five-year national action plans, the first covering 2015 to 2020, and the second covering 2020 to 2025. Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Protecting the Miracle of Modern Medicine evaluates progress made against the national strategy. This report discusses ways to improve detection of resistant infections and estimate the risk to human health from environmental sources of resistance. In addition, the report considers the effect of agricultural practices on human and animal health and animal welfare and ways these practices could be improved, and advises on key drugs and diseases for which animal-specific test breakpoints are needed.
Like many other industries, health care is increasingly turning to digital information and the use of electronic resources. The Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care hosted three workshops to explore current efforts and opportunities to accelerate progress in improving health and health care with information technology systems.
Who should have access to assisted reproductive technologies? Which one of many seriously ill patients should be offered the next available transplant organ? When may a surrogate decision maker decide to withdraw life-prolonging measures from an unconscious patient? Questions like these feature prominently in the field of health care ethics and in the education of health care professionals. This book provides a concise introduction to the major concepts, principles and issues in health care ethics, using case studies throughout to illustrate and analyse challenging ethical issues in contemporary health care. Topics range widely, from confidentiality and truthfulness to end-of-life care and research on human subjects. Ethics and Health Care will be a vital resource for students of applied ethics, bioethics, professional ethics, health law and medical sociology, as well as students of medicine, nursing and other health care professions.
