Why are so many people obliged to enter hospital, when, if certain provisions were made for them, they could be better treated and cared for at home? This book examines this important question and discusses the kind of service which would be required, how it could be orga- nised, and the implications of such a scheme for health administra- tors and professionals, voluntary workers, and patients and their fa- milies. The author considers the success of schemes of this kindo- verseas, notably in france, where such a service has been admini- stered by the hospital services.
This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. The most comprehensive UK Adult Nursing core text, is now in its third edition, for the next generation of nurses. It has been revised and updated to present the knowledge and skills required for competent, evidence-based nursing practice, whilst maintaining the thorough approach that was welcomed in the first two editions.
This open access book outlines the challenges of supporting the health and wellbeing of older adults around the world and offers examples of solutions designed by stakeholders, healthcare providers, and public, private and nonprofit organizations in the United States. The solutions presented address challenges including: providing person-centered long-term care, making palliative care accessible in all healthcare settings and the home, enabling aging-in-place, financing long-term care, improving care coordination and access to care, delivering hospital-level and emergency care in the home and retirement community settings, merging health and social care, supporting people living with dementia and their caregivers, creating communities and employment opportunities that are accessible and welcoming to those of all ages and abilities, and combating the stigma of aging. The innovative programs of support and care in Aging Well serve as models of excellence that, when put into action, move health spending toward a sustainable path and greatly contribute to the well-being of older adults.
"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/
In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications for Health Care. In that report, the IOM Committee on Evaluating Clinical Applications of Telemedicine found telemedicine is similar in most respects to other technologies for which better evidence of effectiveness is also being demanded. Telemedicine, however, has some special characteristics-shared with information technologies generally-that warrant particular notice from evaluators and decision makers. Since that time, attention to telehealth has continued to grow in both the public and private sectors. Peer-reviewed journals and professional societies are devoted to telehealth, the federal government provides grant funding to promote the use of telehealth, and the private technology industry continues to develop new applications for telehealth. However, barriers remain to the use of telehealth modalities, including issues related to reimbursement, licensure, workforce, and costs. Also, some areas of telehealth have developed a stronger evidence base than others. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) sponsored the IOM in holding a workshop in Washington, DC, on August 8-9 2012, to examine how the use of telehealth technology can fit into the U.S. health care system. HRSA asked the IOM to focus on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources while also emphasizing the quality and value in the delivery of health care services. This workshop summary discusses the evolution of telehealth since 1996, including the increasing role of the private sector, policies that have promoted or delayed the use of telehealth, and consumer acceptance of telehealth. The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary discusses the current evidence base for telehealth, including available data and gaps in data; discuss how technological developments, including mobile telehealth, electronic intensive care units, remote monitoring, social networking, and wearable devices, in conjunction with the push for electronic health records, is changing the delivery of health care in rural and urban environments. This report also summarizes actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can undertake to further the use of telehealth to improve health care outcomes while controlling costs in the current health care environment.
The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.
This book serves as a comprehensive reference for the basic principles of caring for older adults, directly corresponding to the key competencies for medical student and residents. These competencies are covered in 10 sections, each with chapters that target the skills and knowledge necessary for achieving competency. Each of the 45 chapters follow a consistent format for ease of use, beginning with an introduction to the associated competency and concluding with the most salient points for mastery. Chapters also includes brief cases to provide context to the clinical reasoning behind the competency, strengthening the core understanding necessary to physicians of the future. Written by expert educators and clinicians in geriatric medicine, Geriatric Practice is key resource for students in geriatric medicine, family and internal medicine, specialties, hospice and nursing home training, and all clinicians studying to work with aging patients.
"[This book is] the most authoritative assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of recent trends toward the commercialization of health care," says Robert Pear of The New York Times. This major study by the Institute of Medicine examines virtually all aspects of for-profit health care in the United States, including the quality and availability of health care, the cost of medical care, access to financial capital, implications for education and research, and the fiduciary role of the physician. In addition to the report, the book contains 15 papers by experts in the field of for-profit health care covering a broad range of topicsâ€"from trends in the growth of major investor-owned hospital companies to the ethical issues in for-profit health care. "The report makes a lasting contribution to the health policy literature." â€"Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.
The definitive guide to the knowledge and skills necessary to practice Hospital Medicine Presented in full color and enhanced by more than 700 illustrations, this authoritative text provides a background in all the important clinical, organizational, and administrative areas now required for the practice of hospital medicine. The goal of the book is provide trainees, junior and senior clinicians, and other professionals with a comprehensive resource that they can use to improve care processes and performance in the hospitals that serve their communities. Each chapter opens with boxed Key Clinical Questions that are addressed in the text and hundreds of tables encapsulate important information. Case studies demonstrate how to apply the concepts covered in the text directly to the hospitalized patient. Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine is divided into six parts: Systems of Care: Introduces key issues in Hospital Medicine, patient safety, quality improvement, leadership and practice management, professionalism and medical ethics, medical legal issues and risk management, teaching and development. Medical Consultation and Co-Management: Reviews core tenets of medical consultation, preoperative assessment and management of post-operative medical problems. Clinical Problem-Solving in Hospital Medicine: Introduces principles of evidence-based medicine, quality of evidence, interpretation of diagnostic tests, systemic reviews and meta-analysis, and knowledge translations to clinical practice. Approach to the Patient at the Bedside: Details the diagnosis, testing, and initial management of common complaints that may either precipitate admission or arise during hospitalization. Hospitalist Skills: Covers the interpretation of common “low tech” tests that are routinely accessible on admission, how to optimize the use of radiology services, and the standardization of the execution of procedures routinely performed by some hospitalists. Clinical Conditions: Reflects the expanding scope of Hospital Medicine by including sections of Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, Geriatrics, Neurology, Palliative Care, Pregnancy, Psychiatry and Addiction, and Wartime Medicine.
