Book Description

Health Care USA: Understanding Its Organization and Delivery, Third Edition differentiates itself from other health delivery texts with its public health or "population-based" approach to health care delivery issues.

By describing the changing roles of the component parts of the U.S. health care system - as well as the technical, economic, political, and social forces responsible for those changes - the new edition of this leading text continues to provide a current and complete overview that is carefully tailored to facilitate both teaching and learning.Completely updated to reflect new data and developments, HEALTH CARE USA covers trends in health care costs: effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997; managed care industry consolidation; increasing economic pressure on hospitals; ethics in public health; changing professional prerogatives of physicians; more information on nursing and allied health functions; additional graphics to illustrate key concepts. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent introductory text for undergrads
I used this book as a textbook for a junior-level undergrad course I taught entitled Health Systems Administration. It provides an excellent overview to our U.S. health care system and covers basic material such as how medical education, ambulatory care and health care personnel needs currently are addressed and likely changes in the future. I anticipate using this text again when I teach the course. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The committee approach
This is a book which, despite being written by a committee and showing it, has a definite point of view. It is somewhat superficial, but contains a fairly good review of the literature on medical error and some definite ideas about what to do. This is the book for policy wonks who are interested both in health care and in government intervention. Those looking for more in-depth treatment of the subject would do well to consider Human Error in Medicine, edited by Marilyn Sue Bogner.

Everyone should read this book
This eye opening book exposes the dangers of the medical health care system in the United States. Tens of thousands of people die and are injured every year due to doctors' errors, administrative foul ups, misdiagnoses, and incorrect prescriptions. The book gives general solutions for the system as a whole and advice to the individual to help you protect yourself when you are being treated by a doctor or hospital.

My spouse is a Medical Malpractice attorney and you would not believe the frequency of tragic and catastophic errors made by health care providers that change and end people's lives unnecessarily. It can happen to anyone without warning. Protect yourself and purchase this book today for a no nonsense look at the system you may one day depend on to save your life. ... Read more

Book Description

Toward a 21^st Century Health System is a collection of thoughtful analyses that explore a key element of the health care delivery system¾physician group practices. Edited by policy experts Alain Enthoven and Laura Tollen, and written by a blue ribbon panel of health policy scholars and leaders including Stephen Shortell, Hal Luft, Donald Berwick, James Robinson, and Helen Darling, this resource addresses a variety of topics, including 

• Organized delivery systems
• Quality of care in prepaid group practice versus other types of managed care
• The role of physician leadership and culture in group practice
• Prepaid group practice and the formation of national health policy

This comprehensive resource also covers such topics as pharmacy benefit management, technology assessment, health services research, and employer purchasing of benefits– all as they relate to prepaid group practice.

Book Description

The most important concept in statistics is the probability model. Only by fully understanding this model can one fully understand statistical analysis. Utilizing models in epidemiology, the authors of this self-contained account have chosen to emphasize the role of likelihood. This approach to statistics is both simple and intuitively satisfying. More complex problems can be tackled by natural extensions of the simple methods. This exploration of the statistical basis of epidemiology has been written specifically for professionals and graduate students in epidemiology, clinical epidemiology, or biostatistics. The simple prerequisite--basic training in biology--assumes no previous knowledge and the mathematics is deliberately kept at a manageable level. Based on a highly successful course by two internationally known authors, this book explains the essentials of statistics for all epidemiologists. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Outstanding mongraph for biostatisticians
I find all other so-called biostatistics books are helpless
until I have read this book. This book is written based on
Clayton and Hills's past experience in applying statistics
in their studies. They can illustrate most difficult concepts
by very simple examples and words which are totally differnt
than other text and teaching books. For other books, you
can learn a lot of various statistical techniques, but you
cannot understand what is the core idea behind the statistics.
You may get it from this book.

A very good for the non-Mathematician
Clayton and Hill's book is an excellent introduction to the Statistics underlying epidemiology for readers who are not specialist Mathematicians. The book does explain fairly erudite ideas, but it does so gently and the Mathematics used is elementary. There are also many not-too-hard exercises at the ends of sections, making this a very gopd bok to learn from. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

The vastly expanded Second Edition of Dr. Rothman's acclaimedModern Epidemiology reflects the remarkable conceptual development ofthis evolving science and the engagement of epidemiologists with anincreasing range of current public health concerns. This landmark workis the most comprehensive and cohesive text on the principles andmethods of contemporary epidemiologic research.Coauthored by twoleading epidemiologists, with 15 additional contributors, the SecondEdition presents a much broader range of concepts and methods than Dr.Rothman's single-authored original edition. Coverage of basic measuresand study types is more thorough and includes a new chapter on fieldmethods. New chapters on advanced topics in data analysis, such ashierarchical regression, are also included. A new section coversspecific areas of research such as infectious disease epidemiology,ecologic studies, disease surveillance, analysis of vital statistics,screening, clinical epidemiology, environmental and occupationalepidemiology, reproductive and perinatal epidemiology, geneticepidemiology, and nutritional epidemiology. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The best and greatest Epidemiology book ever
This edition is the best Epi book ever. Even though it is quite complicated and sometimes difficult to fully understand, it does provide a state-of-the-art knowledge and vision into Epidemiologic Methods. The book is the great reference to Epidemiologists or ones who would like to know Epi methods for their research and other purposes. Thanks to Dr. Rothman and Dr. Greenland's clear minds and great contributions from many other authors, the book is much updated and more comprehensive than the first edition. You definitely should have one on the shelf.

unnecessary details on statistics subject
I agree with many reviewers here that the book is great, but poorly organized and put too much on statistical methods. I have read through it from cover to cover for my exams. Nevertheless, the first part discussion is very good, but you need to read other books before reading Rothman's book. Acutally, I really hate Greenland's writing, it is too obscure. I would not recommend this book to students.

The basic premise of the Rothman tome:
"Here's what everyone else thinks about this topic (you name it), but here's why they're wrong and it's really a whole lot more complicated than that." This book verges on the surreal - there's the feeling that a little peyote might help one "break through" and suddenly absorb the 5th dimensional world of complete mastery of all the quasireligious mysteries of epi.
Yeah, I was exposed to it in my very first epi class and as others have said, it's not for beginning students; however, my professors (30 years into their fields) tell me they still turn to it on occasion. Kidding aside, there were some profound truths that (I think) I got. But ask a VERY simple question, like, does external validity refer to the source population or populations outside the source pop, and you will find yourself trudging through tar for hours with gaiters on.
Look at it this way: a priest gets to spend the rest of his life trying to refine his understanding of the Bible... well, guess what you'll be doing, pal. Might as well not get frustrated about it...

This book is USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't invest in this book, even if it is considered required reading for your course(s), you will be much better off... trust me. THis book is supposedly cutting edge in terms of epidemiological methods (whatever that means). But, the authors have written this book in a way that is confusing, misleading, and uninterpretable. The chapters written by Rothman and/or Greenland seem to purposely confuse the reader with unnecessary teminology and excessive use of equations. Moreover, this book could not be more poorly organized. Don't waste your time or money. I relied on "Epidemiology in Medicine" by Hennekens (which is not great, but good enough) and web-based resources to get through my doctoral program in Epidemiology. My classmates hated Rothman too.

Buy "Epidumbiology Without Numbers for Dummies" Instead!
This is the wurst ridden epidumbiology book I ever red.

Us epidumbiologists don't need to know all this hard stuff. We need more ez 2 read books with short wurds and no equations and no Greak letters. Buks that tell us in simpleton terms we ken under stand some wrong weighs to do our studies and sum wrong wheys to annulize our data and sam wrong waze to interprut our resultz.

But most of all we need bigger pictures to color with our crayons. The only gud coloring pictures in this buk are those stoopid Rothman's Pies. But I keep going outside the lines. ... Read more

Book Description

Health and Health Care 2010, Second Edition, offers well-researched coverage of health insurance, managed care, health care providers, the health workforce, medical technologies, information technologies, consumerism, public health services, mental health, child health, health of the elderly, chronic care, and health behaviors, and more. Each of the volume's topics starts with historical background leading into the contemporary setting and is followed with predicted short-term developments and forecasts reaching to the year 2010. Acknowledging the difficulty of long-term predictions, even by experts, the projections are cast as "stormy," "long and winding," or "sunny."

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Thoughts on Health and Health Care 2010
This is a very interesting prediction of what health care may hold for us this decade. I enjoyed reading forecasts of what the population will be like and their lifestyles, as well as buying habits. Health careers that will be booming were discussed as well as what medical advances will flourish. I found it interesting that this publication does not really predict a nursing shortage as everyone else is predicting. The discussion of insurance plan growth and changes was less interesting to this reader but necessary. ... Read more

Book Description

Since its publication in 1987, Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes has become the standard textbook in this field world-wide Over the past ten years, the field of economic evaluation in health care has expanded considerably, with a rapid rise in the number of published studies, and wider recognition of their use in health care decision-making. Developments in economic evaluation have also led to the publication of several guidelines for study methodology, most recently those proposed by the United States Public Health Services Panel. The new edition of Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes follows the same basic structure as the first edition. The key methodological principles are outlined using a critical appraisal checklist that can be applied to any published study. The methodological features of the basic forms of analysis (cost analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, and cost-benefit analysis) are then explained in more detail. The book has been greatly revised and enlarged, especially with respect to cost-utility and cost- benefit analysis, where major methodological developments have taken place. New to this edition are chapters on collecting and analysing data, and presenting and using economic evaluation results. The new edition will be required reading for anyone commissioning, undertaking, or using economic evaluations in health care, and will be popular with health service professionals, health economists, and health-care decision makers.Reviews of the first edition:'An important contribution to studies on the economic evaluation of medical care...' (British Medical Journal)'This is essential reading. Only if all managers are aware of the powers of economic techniques will they be used sensibly' (The Health Service Journal (UK)'The methodological chapters on cost analysis and cost utility analysis are gems... should become the standard text on the subject at the intermediate level at which it is aimed.' (Medical Decision Making) 'It leaves nothing important in economic evaluation analysis untouched.' (Health Policy and Planning) ... Read more

Book Description

In a clear, cohesive format, Delivering Health Care in America provides a comprehensive overview the basic structures and operations of the US health system—from its historical origins and resources, to its individual services, cost, and quality. Using a unique "systems" approach, it brings together an extraordinary breadth of information into a highly accessible, easy-to-read text that clarifies the complexities of health care organization and finance, while presenting a solid overview of how the various components fit together.

Now in its third edition, Delivering Health Care in America has been updated with the latest available data and research findings to provide the most current information on the foundations, structural features, past and current trends, and major issues pertaining to the U.S. health care delivery system. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fluffy
This book is near 600 pages, but it could be condensed to 300 easily: by cutting back on some simplistic flow charts and over-explanation. Maybe the goal was to make the book readable for the high school level, but I didn't find its style or level appropriate for a graduate (MBA) textbook. One further annoyance was the authors' shameless and open promotion of socialized health care. A more balanced take would give the authors greater credibility.

Good introduction to the American health care system
The book is a good basic introduction to the American health care system. If you are doing advanced health policy research this book is not for you. If you are teaching a class for undergraduates (or are someone who wants to know about 'nuts and bolts' issues) this would be perfect. For what it does (basic intro), it does well but do not look for sophisticated analysis here. ... Read more

Book Description

FISCAL ADMINISTRATION is based on two principles: that students must clearly understand the details of where the money for public budgets comes from; and that, to learn public finance and budgeting, students must "run the numbers." John Mikesell--an authority on the revenue side of public finance--focuses on his area of specialty, giving students detailed instruction that will equip them to deal with the complex issues and calculations they will encounter in the field. In most chapters, Mikesell includes questions and exercises that require calculations to get specific answers, as well as "Cases for Discussion" and "Sidebars" that supplement the regular text with more in-depth treatment of key topics. This edition also includes the most recent federal budget information, as well as the latest federal government fiscal data. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Regarding Fiscal Administration
I am currently using this book for a graduate-level public budgeting course for a ranked MPA program. Mikesell's textbook is a poorly written, discursive and convoluted in scope. There are several basic grammatical errors in this textbook, and this is coming from someone whose first language is not English. The end-of-chapter computational problems are difficult to complete because nowhere in the chapters does the author explain how to do the problems.

There is also too much information crammed into each paragraph; I'm lucky if I can read three pages in a row in one sitting. The author does not write well; he uses too many block quotes and lists (e.g, (1), (2), (3)...). Therefore, this book does not read well, and the information he tries to provide does not register in the mind.

Most of my classmates have the same complaints as the ones I listed above. This book agitating for many to read, even for someone with a fairly solid economic background. Therefore, I'd strongly recommend not to use this book if at all possible.

But to balance out this criticism with some good points, the first chapter is relatively easy to read and useful.

Incorrect statement from former reviewer
A previous reviewer incorrectly identified my father's (J. Mikesell) undergrad alma mater as Illinois. In fact John Mikesell earned his BA from Wabash College.

Just setting the facts straight.

Leaves something to be desired...
I use this book in a public budgeting graduate class. For people with limited knowledge of public budgeting or fiscal administration in general, this book leaves much to be desired. A certain base knowledge is required and one must be able to decode the private language of budget scholars to understand the writings. Examples are frequently presented with no clear connection to the text. This book is regarded as one of the best, but I would not recommend it for anyone without prior knowledge of the subject or to someone looking for a quick and easy explanation of budgeting.

Mikesell's Travels discloses the Author's expertise
"A bibliographical review" John L. Mikesell is professor of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University and director of professional graduate programs for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He is editor-in-chief of Public Budgeting and Finance, the journal cooperatively published by the American Association for Budget and Program Anaylsis and the Assocciation for Budgeting and Financial Management, and his column on sales taxation is a regular feature of State Tax Barents Group/KPMG Peat Marwick fisical reform project with the government of Ukraine, and as Moscow-based director for assistance in intergovernmental fisccal relations with the USAID Georgia State University Consortium Russian fisical reform project. He has worked on fisical studieis for several states not including Ohio.Consultant to World Bank; Visiting Scholar to U.S. Congressional Budget Office; and a myriad of top drawer public budgeting journals. He headed the National Tax Assocation-Tax Institute of America, 89-92. BA from Illinois, MA and PHD from Illinois, where he specializes in public finance and taxation. He's a proud member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Detailed and Organized.
As an ousider to the political science field, this book laid the proper path to an easy understanding of fiscal management in the public sector. The subject was presented in an organized way, wtih sidebars filling in the practical aspect of such book-learning process. Readers, inside and outside the field, will benefit from reading this book. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

IT HAS A REFINED ANALYTICAL APPROACH
"Designing Clinical Research: An Epidermiologic Approach" did a thorough analysis of various methodologies, which medical scientists could use in everyday research. It, first of all, outlined all the essential steps (used in epidemiological research), before delving into the analysis of each step. Its information is current and versatile. But, certain important issues like research-funding and statistics received less than expected attention. Despite this flaw, I would still recommend this book to scientists. Its pros did exceed its cons by a mile.

Invaluable book
I bought this book for a course I am taking as part of my fellowship. This book focuses on the concepts of study design and critical aspects of clinical research. To my surprise, what I found was that I have a greater understanding of how to intrepret literature. This is mostly because I'm able to view it from an investigator's point of view. I'm now able to thoroughly dissect a study and identify the weaknesses, etc (without even reading the discussion section). For those who plan on doing clinical research or just practicing evidenced based medicine, this book is a must.

excessively convenience-oriented book
On the whole this book is an excellent work.

But there is some possibility of fostering illusions in many readers' mind that they actually have great power of research in spite of not having good understanding on basic principles such as statistics.

It is not sufficiently equipped for graduate student or researcher above the level.

THIS IS A MUST HAVE
This is an amazing textbook that is a must have for all healthcare workers or anyone involved or wanting to be involved in clinical research. The test is organized and extremely well written. I use it to teach clinical research design to my students, residents, and fellows. Hats off to Hulley et al on a job well done. It was worth the 13 year wait for the 2nd edition.

Research design: A superb guide
This is one of the best books I have read on how to design a research project. It starts with key, but often neglected, issues such as how to choose a well-focussed research question and steps through all the elements of study design, data collection, quality assurance, and basic grant-writing.

A "must-have" that needs a second edition! ... Read more

Book Description

This innovative new text provides a current, comprehensive introduction to principles applied in the practice of epidemiology in public health. It incorporates modern ideas in epidemiological thinking that have been largely omitted in other textbooks, providing an overview that is up-to-date and thorough. Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health will familiarize readers with terminology and key concepts in the design, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiological research, giving students the tools they need to critically evaluate scientific literature.

Successfully tested in the authors' courses at Boston University and Harvard University for five years, this text combines theory and practice in presenting traditional and new epidemiologic concepts. Broad in scope, the text opens with five chapters covering the basic epidemiologic concepts and data sources. A major emphasis is placed on study design, with separate chapters devoted to each of the three main analytic designs: experimental, cohort, and case-control studies.

Full chapters on bias, confounding, and random error, including the roll of statistics in epidemiology, ensure that students are well-equipped with the necessary information to interpret the results of epidemiologic studies. An entire chapter is also devoted to the concept of effect measure modification, an often-neglected topic in introductory textbooks. Up-to-date examples from the epidemiologic literature on diseases of public health importance are provided throughout the book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

At last, a good intro to epi book for students!
This book is an excellent introduction to epidemiology. The authors present epidemiologic concepts in an easy-to-understand manner with interesting supportive examples from the fields of reproductive health and HIV epidemiology. In addition to the standard chapters on study design, bias, and confounding, the book also includes very good chapters on measurement error, causation, and screening, as well as tried-and-proven guidelines for a critical review of epidemiologic studies. This text should be very helpful to beginning masters and doctoral students in epidemiology and public health. ... Read more

Book Description

The information contained in Medical Error includes contributions from experts in the field who offer a comprehensive and constructive review of medical mishaps. The book provides a useful reference for students and practitioners who must examine and assess the critical area of patient safety. Throughout Medical Error the authors stress the critical need for accountability and transparency and address a number of compelling questions: Where are we mired in outdated approaches? Where have we misinterpreted data? Where are we getting new insights? Where do we dare to be innovative? This helpful resource will prove to be a valuable tool for health care professionals who strive to improve care for all their patients. ... Read more

Book Description

“San Francisco in 1900 was a Gold Rush boomtown settling into a gaudy middle age. . . . It had a pompous new skyline with skyscrapers nearly twenty stories tall, grand hotels, and Victorian mansions on Nob Hill. . . . The wharf bristled with masts and smokestacks from as many as a thousand sailing ships and steamers arriving each year. . . . But the harbor would not be safe for long. Across the Pacific came an unexpected import, bubonic plague. Sailing from China and Hawaii into the unbridged arms of the Golden Gate, it arrived aboard vessels bearing rich cargoes, hopeful immigrants, and infected vermin. The rats slipped out of their shadowy holds, scuttled down the rigging, and alighted on the wharf. Uphill they scurried, insinuating themselves into the heart of the city.”

The plague first sailed into San Francisco on the steamer Australia, on the day after New Year’s in 1900. Though the ship passed inspection, some of her stowaways—infected rats—escaped detection and made their way into the city’s sewer system. Two months later, the first human case of bubonic plague surfaced in Chinatown.

Initially in charge of the government’s response was Quarantine Officer Dr. Joseph Kinyoun. An intellectually astute but autocratic scientist, Kinyoun lacked the diplomatic skill to manage the public health crisis successfully. He correctly diagnosed the plague, but because of his quarantine efforts, he was branded an alarmist and a racist, and was forced from his post. When a second epidemic erupted five years later, the more self-possessed and charming Dr. Rupert Blue was placed in command. He won the trust of San Franciscans by shifting the government’s attack on the plague from the cool remove of the laboratory onto the streets, among the people it affected. Blue preached sanitation to contain the disease, but it was only when he focused his attack on the newly discovered source of the plague, infected rats and their fleas, that he finally eradicated it—truly one of the great, if little known, triumphs in American public health history.

With stunning narrative immediacy fortified by rich research, Marilyn Chase transports us to the city during the late Victorian age—a roiling melting pot of races and cultures that, nearly destroyed by an earthquake, was reborn, thanks in no small part to Rupert Blue and his motley band of pied pipers. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

excellent medical reporting and storytelling
Plague is a fascinating subject because it is so utterly awful and so feared. Marilyn Chase's book not only explains this ancient (and current) disease, it is also a social history of San Francisco at the turn of the century. The disease first struck working-poor Chinese, and the rich white establishment wrongly figured they could stamp it out by being wretched to this minority population. When that didn't work, they denied that plague existed and impugned the public health doctor who kept insisting that it did.
Chase shows the official conspiracy--including the city's press--that not only kept information from the public but actively lied to San Franciscans. Ultimately, she shows that the battle to rid San Francisco of plague was won by persistence, diplomacy and sharing the nitty-gritty facts with the public.
Those who think the plague is a disease of the past, or at least of the Third World, might be interested to read the epilogue. It shows that plague is carried by rodents of the American West, and contains an account of a plague case in New Mexico in 2000.

The Black Death in Early San Francisco
This book is not only a fascinating look into the origins of the bubonic plauge in early San Francisco, tracing the disease's trek from China through Hong Kong to Chinatown in Honolulu and spreading itself in the western frontier of California; it is a view of how racism and politics affected interfered with solution. When plague first appeared in San Francisco, it struck the Chinatown area the hardest, inflaming tensions between the whites and the immigrants. When Dr. Joseph Kinyoun threatened quaratine of the entire area, the businessmen and politicians rose against him, putting the city' s profitability before the public's health. His replacement, Rupert Blue, managed the plague clean-up campaign with much diplomacy and brought about sweeping changes that not only curbed the rise of the plague, but also enhanced the city's image.

This book has it all -- poitical intrigue, racism, a disease out of control, heroes and villains. Sometimes non-fiction can be better than most novels, and in this case, it makes for a great book well worth reading.

Fascinating, fun, and a quick read despite flowery language
If I thought too much about the language, I tended to think "who was this person's editor, and what were they drinking?" But despite the intermittent distraction, I found it fascinating. The author tells a real non-fiction story - and it measures up to a good fiction read. I'm from San Francisco, so I had an added interest in the location if not the topic, but, come on, who isn't fascinated by The Plague? The author jumped around in time in a way that had no rhyme or reason for me, but again, I wasn't more than temporarily distracted by this. Worth the time.

Gripping and Timely
Ms. Chase has mixed a veritable cauldron of explosive subjects about which to write something fresh: politics and race in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, the just emerging discoveries about plague vectors, topped off with brand new research into the characters who stood at the center of an outbreak of plague in San Francisco's Chinatown. She recounts how the early cases were misdiagnosed or dismissed in order to prevent damage to the city's reputation, and while the descriptions of individual cases is by its nature repetitive, the story is made all the more powerful as the epidemic's toll mounts and, finally, subsides. Ms. Chase describes the anti-rat campaign and its role in beating the plague, and pinpoints the seemingly minor difference in flea types that saved us from a much worse outbreak. Ms. Chase scrupulously avoided the easy paths to sensationalism and chose to stick to the facts. For instance, she makes the point that it was evident that the number of plague victims was being undercounted due to sufferers (or bodies) being removed from the city, possibly in collusion with authorities, but steadfastly sticks only to the proven cases in proving the existence of an "epidemic". The epidemic may have been far worse than recorded. And coming just as we were avoiding travel to certain destinations because of SARS, her book is an outstanding reminder of the responsibility of public health authorities to place the public good above all else in matters of infectious disease. If you are interested in the early days of public health in the United States, or wish to draw lessons for the present, this book is a must read!

Sherlock Holmes in San Francisco
A medical history that rivals whodunnits as a page-turner. For all its scrupulous research and shocking parallels to our own day, it generates an excitement that many novelists would envy. The colorful characters - greedy businessmen, dishonest politicians, a timid medical establishment, an heroic doctor - live with growing danger from disease, earthquake, fire and even from city officials intent on a coverup. As a bonus, one reads a fascinating history of San Francisco at the turn of the 20th century. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A good reference book
If health is your field of practice this book will increase you awareness on the importance of holistic approach to health care. If you are researching in the area of religion and spirituality, then this is a must read for your literature review.

The Ultimate Resource!
This is the most comprehensive collection of studies in the field of religion, spirituality and healthcare. Extremely easy to read and nicely organized for easy use. As a researcher myself in the field of spirituality and healthcare, I have found this book to be a "must have" resource for our own work. I would strongly recommend this book wihtout reservation!

An Amazing Book
As a scientist with great faith---and a survivor of three separate cancers---I came to this book with a lot of faith and treatment experience. This is an amazing summary of the literature relating religion and health. There are many, many associations between religious commitment and practice and health, with major implications for crafting healthful lifestyles and treatment of illness. This book is scientifically credible, inspirational from a religious perspective, and interesting throughout. 5 stars only because that is the top star value!!

Well worth the money
This book was well worth the money. There is so much information on religion and health, from a detailed history on religion and medicine to specific subjects like well-being, depression, heart disease, stroke, immune function, and lots on cancer. I think anybody with a health background or a religion background would find this book helpful.

The current Bible of the field
ANDREW J. WEAVER, Ph.D. (aweaver@healthcarechaplaincy.org), a United Methodist pastor and research psychologist

This handbook reviews and discusses the extensive research on the relationships between religion and a variety of mental and physical health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and cancer, as well as the destructive behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, and risky sexual activity. This is a comprehensive and useful summary of the field of religion and health by three recognized experts who can write plain English. This will quickly become one of the Bibles of the field. RECOMMENDED WITHOUT RESERVATION. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the first textbook to present informatics principles and examples of practice in a public health context. It clarifies the ways in which new information technologies will support and improve the status of individual and community health.It provides an essential tool for public health officials, healthcare professionals, and public health students who need to understandbasic principles of information and technology management in order to promote a strategic approach to information systems development in public health.

More than 50 recognized experts from public health organizations and leading public health schools provide a comprehensive review of this emerging discipline, including both principles and applications.The 34 chapters are presented in five sections:

* "The Context for Public Health Informatics," including the principles, history, effects, and the governmental and legislative context of public health informatics

* "The Science of Public Health Informatics," focusing on basics such as information architecture, core competencies, information systems value assessment, IT personnel and project management, and other fundamentals

* "Key Public Health Information Systems," including chapters focusing on the nature and uses of resources such as the National Vital Statistics System

* "New Challenges, Emerging Systems," including discussions covering recent developments such as GIS systems as well as new means of data collection and data access in public health

* "Case Studies: Applications of Information Systems Development," illustrating public health informatics in action in a wide range of areas ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction and review
The publication of this book has been highly anticipated by many in the emerging field of public health informatics and it does not disappoint. Although seemingly targeted at those new or recently introduced to the discipline, or those "crossing over" from other areas within the broader informatics arena, content is very well-suited for all comers, with sufficient detail to satisfy even those familiar with the many issues detailed in the richly detailed case example chapters.

The breadth of material covered is excellent, making it especially appropriate as an introductory or intermediate text. Of particular interest will be the section of the book on "The Science of Public Health Informatics" which includes particularly fine chapters on information architecture, value assessment, management of personnel and projects, and organizational change. Bill Yasnoff does a particularly good job adding clarity to a muddled domain in a chapter on privacy, confidentiality, and security of Public Health Information. Those readers generally interested in PHI education, or with specific interest in developing training programs for PHI programs or for public health agency personnel would find great value in Janise Richard's chapter on core competencies.

The writing style is generally clear and illustrative, albeit not terribly concise. We have adopted this book as the core text for our graduate-level introductory course in PHI. ... Read more

Book Description

A practical primer to the dynamic field of health economics. Written by Thomas Getzen, a leading academic and practitioner, and currently Director of the International Health Economics Association, this complete, accessible text introduces students to the economic analysis of medical markets and the production of health.
Updated and revised with new cases and the latest developments in the field, the new Second Edition traces the economic rationale and development of the medical care organization. It thoroughly introduces students to the principles and concepts of health economics without requiring prolonged preparatory work or extensive mathematical manipulation.
* Cases illustrate practical uses of economic theory in each chapter.
* More streamlined presentation of macro and historical materials.
* Covers the relationship of marketing to marginal cost. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The perfect introduction to health care economics.
I wrote a paper on managed care competition for an economics course. This book proved invaluable. Without any previous knowledge of health economics, I was able to read, learn, and understand a fairly complex subject in a short amount of time using this book. The text covers everything but remains at an undergrad level. The arguments and examples are simple, clear, interesting, and easy to remember. I definitely found this to be the best introduction and overview to health economics, after having read six or seven books on the subject. ... Read more

Book Description

Spanning a decade (1992-2002), these speeches echo the theme that our health care system needs fundamental change and a revolutionary new design. Throughout the book, Berwick identifies innovations and ideas from a number of surprising sources— a girls' soccer team, a sinking ship, and the safety standards at NASA. Escape Fire takes its title from the 1949 Mann Gulch tragedy in which thirteen young firefighters were trapped in a wildfire on a Montana hillside. The firefighter's leader, Wag Dodge, devised a creative solution for avoiding the encroaching fire. He burned a patch of grass and lay down in the middle of the scorched earth. His team refused to join him, and most perished in the fire. Dodge survived. Berwick applies the lessons learned from the catastrophe to our ailing health care system— we must not let ingrained processes obstruct life-saving innovation.

Not content to simply define the problems with our flawed system, Berwick outlines new designs and suggests practical tools for change: name the problem, build on success, take leaps of faith, look outside of the medical field, set aims, understand systems, make action lists, and?the most fundamental of all— never lose sight of the patient as the central figure.

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