Complications
Complications

Author: Atul Gawande

Publisher: Metropolitan Books

Published: 2003-04-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1429972106

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A brilliant and courageous doctor reveals, in gripping accounts of true cases, the power and limits of modern medicine. Sometimes in medicine the only way to know what is truly going on in a patient is to operate, to look inside with one's own eyes. This book is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is -- complicated, perplexing, and profoundly human. Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high, yet decisions must be made. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur and why good surgeons go bad. He also shows us what happens when medicine comes up against the inexplicable: an architect with incapacitating back pain for which there is no physical cause; a young woman with nausea that won't go away; a television newscaster whose blushing is so severe that she cannot do her job. Gawande offers a richly detailed portrait of the people and the science, even as he tackles the paradoxes and imperfections inherent in caring for human lives. At once tough-minded and humane, Complications is a new kind of medical writing, nuanced and lucid, unafraid to confront the conflicts and uncertainties that lie at the heart of modern medicine, yet always alive to the possibilities of wisdom in this extraordinary endeavor. Complications is a 2002 National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction.

High Quality Care for All
High Quality Care for All

Author: Secretary of State for Health

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13: 9780101743228

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This review incorporates the views and visions of 2,000 clinicians and other health and social care professionals from every NHS region in England, and has been developed in discussion with patients, carers and the general public. The changes proposed are locally-led, patient-centred and clinically driven. Chapter 2 identifies the challenges facing the NHS in the 21st century: ever higher expectations; demand driven by demographics as people live longer; health in an age of information and connectivity; the changing nature of disease; advances in treatment; a changing health workplace. Chapter 3 outlines the proposals to deliver high quality care for patients and the public, with an emphasis on helping people to stay healthy, empowering patients, providing the most effective treatments, and keeping patients as safe as possible in healthcare environments. The importance of quality in all aspects of the NHS is reinforced in chapter 4, and must be understood from the perspective of the patient's safety, experience in care received and the effectiveness of that care. Best practice will be widely promoted, with a central role for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in expanding national standards. This will bring clarity to the high standards expected and quality performance will be measured and published. The review outlines the need to put frontline staff in control of this drive for quality (chapter 5), with greater freedom to use their expertise and skill and decision-making to find innovative ways to improve care for patients. Clinical and managerial leadership skills at the local level need further development, and all levels of staff will receive support through education and training (chapter 6). The review recommends the introduction of an NHS Constitution (chapter 7). The final chapter sets out the means of implementation.

Assuring the Quality of Health Care in the European Union
Assuring the Quality of Health Care in the European Union

Author: Helena Legido-Quigley

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 9289071931

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

People have always travelled within Europe for work and leisure, although never before with the current intensity. Now, however, they are travelling for many other reasons, including the quest for key services such as health care. Whatever the reason for travelling, one question they ask is "If I fall ill, will the health care I receive be of a high standard?" This book examines, for the first time, the systems that have been put in place in all of the European Union's 27 Member States. The picture it paints is mixed. Some have well developed systems, setting standards based on the best available evidence, monitoring the care provided, and taking action where it falls short. Others need to overcome significant obstacles.

Impact Evaluation in Practice, Second Edition
Impact Evaluation in Practice, Second Edition

Author: Paul J. Gertler

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2016-09-12

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 1464807809

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.

Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-05-14

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 0309671035

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

Transforming NHS ambulance services
Transforming NHS ambulance services

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-06-10

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9780102969719

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Department of Health has until recently been focusing on speed of response as a measure of performance of the ambulance service, rather than on clinical outcomes for patients. The ambulance service achieves high levels of public satisfaction but there are wide variations in ambulance trusts' efficiency and the NAO concludes that the system has not delivered the best value for money to date. The 8-minute response target, intended for the most seriously ill patients, is one of the most demanding in the world. However, its application has skewed ambulance trusts' approach to performance measurement and management. The target is also applied to a much wider group of patients than intended. The report identifies various inefficiencies in the system, with cost per incident varying between £176 and £251. There is scope across the urgent and emergency care system to make more of different ways of responding to patients, such as clinical advice to callers over the phone and taking patients to minor injuries units rather than A&E departments. If all 11 trusts adopted the best practice currently being used in at least one trust, the NHS could save £165 million a year. The elements of the emergency care system are not yet fully integrated and this leads to delays in turnaround times at hospital A&Es. Over one-fifth of patient handovers take longer than the recommended 15 minutes. The new clinical quality indicators introduced from April offer the potential for a fuller measurement of performance based on outcomes.

Promoting Health: A Practical Guide - E-Book
Promoting Health: A Practical Guide - E-Book

Author: Angela Scriven

Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences

Published: 2017-06-30

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 070206694X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Promoting Health: A Practical Guide continues to offer health promotion workers with an essential guide to day-to-day planning and service delivery in a variety of different areas of practice. - Describes the international and national strategies and movements that have emerged to reduce inequalities in health - Examines the concept of need and provides tools to assist in the identification of health promotion needs - Contains almost 50 exercises and 20 Case Studies to engage readers and reinforce learning - Describes the knowledge and skills required to draw on evidence, undertake research and use various techniques to inform and prioritise health promotion practice - Shows how to ensure that health promotion work contributes to local and national strategies - Looks at the concept of 'value for money' via learning ways of thinking based in health economics - Shows how to develop key skills that include information management, report writing, time management, project management, and change management - Looks at the effectiveness of good communication skills and emphasises the importance of establishing high-quality professional relationships - Provides practical guidance on the preparation of communication tools which range from leaflets, posters and display boards to the use of radio and television - Describes changes to the structure and organisation of public health within the UK, including the latest national standards for work in health promotion and public health - Outlines new research on the comparative effectiveness of different approaches to health promotion and public health practice - Explores the development of public health communication strategies, including social marketing, social media campaigns, and use of pressure groups and 'nudging' - Highlights the latest 'current thinking' across a variety of different settings, to ensure relevance to a broad array of practitioners working across differing settings - Explores the increasing use of the internet to help individuals monitor and support their own wellbeing

Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-11-28

Total Pages: 501

ISBN-13: 0309670381

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When communities face complex public health emergencies, state local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies must make difficult decisions regarding how to effectively respond. The public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) system, with its multifaceted mission to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, is inherently complex and encompasses policies, organizations, and programs. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States has invested billions of dollars and immeasurable amounts of human capital to develop and enhance public health emergency preparedness and infrastructure to respond to a wide range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events. Despite the investments in research and the growing body of empirical literature on a range of preparedness and response capabilities and functions, there has been no national-level, comprehensive review and grading of evidence for public health emergency preparedness and response practices comparable to those utilized in medicine and other public health fields. Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response reviews the state of the evidence on PHEPR practices and the improvements necessary to move the field forward and to strengthen the PHEPR system. This publication evaluates PHEPR evidence to understand the balance of benefits and harms of PHEPR practices, with a focus on four main areas of PHEPR: engagement with and training of community-based partners to improve the outcomes of at-risk populations after public health emergencies; activation of a public health emergency operations center; communication of public health alerts and guidance to technical audiences during a public health emergency; and implementation of quarantine to reduce the spread of contagious illness.

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-01-27

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0309154006

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A respected resource for decades, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has been updated by a committee of experts, taking into consideration input from the scientific and laboratory animal communities and the public at large. The Guide incorporates new scientific information on common laboratory animals, including aquatic species, and includes extensive references. It is organized around major components of animal use: Key concepts of animal care and use. The Guide sets the framework for the humane care and use of laboratory animals. Animal care and use program. The Guide discusses the concept of a broad Program of Animal Care and Use, including roles and responsibilities of the Institutional Official, Attending Veterinarian and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Animal environment, husbandry, and management. A chapter on this topic is now divided into sections on terrestrial and aquatic animals and provides recommendations for housing and environment, husbandry, behavioral and population management, and more. Veterinary care. The Guide discusses veterinary care and the responsibilities of the Attending Veterinarian. It includes recommendations on animal procurement and transportation, preventive medicine (including animal biosecurity), and clinical care and management. The Guide addresses distress and pain recognition and relief, and issues surrounding euthanasia. Physical plant. The Guide identifies design issues, providing construction guidelines for functional areas; considerations such as drainage, vibration and noise control, and environmental monitoring; and specialized facilities for animal housing and research needs. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals provides a framework for the judgments required in the management of animal facilities. This updated and expanded resource of proven value will be important to scientists and researchers, veterinarians, animal care personnel, facilities managers, institutional administrators, policy makers involved in research issues, and animal welfare advocates.