The Science of Health Disparities Research


Book Description

Integrates the various disciplines of the science of health disparities in one comprehensive volume The Science of Health Disparities Research is an indispensable source of up-to-date information on clinical and translational health disparities science. Building upon the advances in health disparities research over the past decade, this authoritative volume informs policies and practices addressing the diseases, disorders, and gaps in health outcomes that are more prevalent in minority populations and socially disadvantaged communities. Contributions by recognized scholars and leaders in the field—featuring contemporary research, conceptual models, and a broad range of scientific perspectives—provide an interdisciplinary approach to reducing inequalities in population health, encouraging community engagement in the research process, and promoting social justice. In-depth chapters help readers better understand the specifics of minority health and health disparities while demonstrating the importance of advancing theory, refining measurement, improving investigative methods, and diversifying scientific research. In 26 chapters, the book examines topics including the etiology of health disparities research, the determinants of population health, research ethics, and research in African American, Asians, Latino, American Indian, and other vulnerable populations. Providing a unified framework on the principles and applications of the science of health disparities research, this important volume: Defines the field of health disparities science and suggests new directions in scholarship and research Explains basic definitions, principles, and concepts for identifying, understanding and addressing health disparities Provides guidance on both conducting health disparities research and translating the results Examines how social, historical and contemporary injustices may influence the health of racial and ethnic minorities Illustrates the increasing national and global importance of addressing health disparities Discusses population health training, capacity-building, and the transdisciplinary tools needed to advance health equity A significant contribution to the field, The Science of Health Disparities Research is an essential resource for students and basic and clinical researchers in genetics, population genetics, and public health, health care policymakers, and epidemiologists, medical students, and clinicians, particularly those working with minority, vulnerable, or underserved populations.







The Cult and Science of Public Health


Book Description

In contemporary manifestations of public health rituals and events, people are being increasingly united around what they hold in common--their material being and humanity. As a cult of humanity, public health provides a moral force in society that replaces 'traditional' religions in times of great diversity or heterogeneity of peoples, activities and desires. This is in contrast to public health's foundation in science, particularly the science of epidemiology. The rigid rules of 'scientific evidence' used to determine the cause of illness and disease can work against the most vulnerable in society by putting sectors of the population, such as underrepresented workers, at a disadvantage. This study focuses on this tension between traditional science and the changing vision articulated within public health (and across many disciplines) that calls for a collective response to uncontrolled capitalism and unremitting globalization, and to the way in which health inequalities and their association with social inequalities provides a political rhetoric that calls for a new redistributive social programme. Drawing on decades of research, the author argues that public health is both a cult and a science of contemporary society.




Medicine, Religion, and Health


Book Description

Medicine, Religion, and Health: Where Science and Spirituality Meet will be the first title published in the new Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this, the series' maiden volume, Dr. Harold G. Koenig, provides an overview of the relationship between health care and religion that manages to be comprehensive yet concise, factual yet inspirational, and technical yet easily accessible to nonspecialists and general readers. Focusing on the scientific basis for integrating spirituality into medicine, Koenig carefully summarizes major trends, controversies, and the latest research from various disciplines and provides plausible and compelling theoretical explanations for what has thus far emerged in this relatively young field of study. Medicine, Religion, and Health begins by defining the principal terms and then moves on to a brief history of religion's role in medicine before delving into the current state of research. Koenig devotes several chapters to exploring the outcomes of specific studies in fields such as mental health, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. The book concludes with a review of the clinical applications derived from the research. Koenig also supplies several detailed appendices to aid readers of all levels looking for further information. Medicine, Religion, and Health will shed new light on critical contemporary issues. They will whet readers' appetites for more information on this fascinating, complex, and controversial area of research, clinical activity, and widespread discussion. It will find a welcome home on the bookshelves of students, researchers, clinicians, and other health professionals in a variety of disciplines.




Getting Risk Right


Book Description

Do cell phones cause brain cancer? Does BPA threaten our health? How safe are certain dietary supplements, especially those containing exotic herbs or small amounts of toxic substances? Is the HPV vaccine safe? We depend on science and medicine as never before, yet there is widespread misinformation and confusion, amplified by the media, regarding what influences our health. In Getting Risk Right, Geoffrey C. Kabat shows how science works—and sometimes doesn't—and what separates these two very different outcomes. Kabat seeks to help us distinguish between claims that are supported by solid science and those that are the result of poorly designed or misinterpreted studies. By exploring different examples, he explains why certain risks are worth worrying about, while others are not. He emphasizes the variable quality of research in contested areas of health risks, as well as the professional, political, and methodological factors that can distort the research process. Drawing on recent systematic critiques of biomedical research and on insights from behavioral psychology, Getting Risk Right examines factors both internal and external to the science that can influence what results get attention and how questionable results can be used to support a particular narrative concerning an alleged public health threat. In this book, Kabat provides a much-needed antidote to what has been called "an epidemic of false claims."




Health Systems Science Review E-Book


Book Description

As part of the American Medical Association (AMA)'s Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium's work, Health Systems Science (HSS) is establishing itself as the third major branch of a balanced medical education, alongside basic and clinical sciences. Health Systems Science Review is a first-of-its-kind review book designed to prepare future physicians and other health care professionals to function effectively within health systems by better understanding how health care is delivered, how health care professionals work together to deliver that care, and how the health system can improve patient care and health care delivery. This study tool provides case-based questions followed by discussions of answers and suggested readings—making it a valuable review resource for medical students and instructors, as well as medical residents; nursing, allied health, and public health students; and hospital administrators. - Meets a growing need for an effective, targeted review tool on HSS, a topic increasingly covered on the USMLE and other exams. - Contains 250+ case-based, multiple-choice questions, with extensive discussion of correct and incorrect answers. - Offers an up-to-date, effective review to support and assess competence in HSS, covering health care delivery and processes, health care policy and economics, clinical informatics and technology, social determinants of health, patient safety, teamwork and collaboration, systems thinking and complexity science, and much more. - Provides highly relevant content applicable to today's evolving health care delivery written by experts in emerging areas of HSS. - Serves as an excellent study companion for the ground-breaking book, Health Systems Science, by Susan E. Skochelak, MD, MPH, et al., also developed by the AMA's Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, which is at the forefront of change and innovation in medical education.




Body of Health


Book Description

Body of Health explores the power of personal energy, describing levels of awareness that can facilitate healing on many levels: spiritual, physical, and mental. The techniques covered here are designed to help readers increase their understanding of intuition, color, the chakra system, meditation, and other theories and methods as they work in healing. The author has developed these techniques over many years helping nurses, doctors, and other medical practitioners discover the source of pain and disease and guiding patients to more effective healing therapies. The areas covered in this wide-ranging yet accessible book include aura, color, meditation, kundalini, male/female energy, meditation, and affirmations and their role in healing. Each chapter examines one practice or theory of energy and offers examples, stories, and simple techniques that readers can use to "test" the concept. Included are descriptive charts, journal writing exercises, success stories, and step-by-step meditations.




Understanding Healthcare Delivery Science


Book Description

An accessible new title focused on the science of healthcare delivery, from the acclaimed Understanding series A Doody’s Core Title for 2024! “... a landmark text that will shape the field and inform our dialog for years to come—-and it should be part of the required curriculum at medical and nursing schools around the world. Excellence in healthcare delivery science should become a core competency of the modern physician. Howell and Stevens have given medicine an important gift that may enable just that.” —Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA, FACP; President and CEO, CareMore and Aspire Health; Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief, Healthcare: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation “You hold in your hands 35 years of investigation and learning, condensed into understandable principles and applications. It is a guidebook for effective care delivery leadership, practice, and success.” —Brent C. James, MD, MStat, Clinical Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine “...a must-read for anyone who, like me, is frustrated with the pace of our progress and is committed to creating a learning health system for all.” —Lisa Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, FAAP, President and CEO, AcademyHealth “... will quickly become the go-to, must-read resource for practitioners looking to have an impact as innovators in healthcare delivery.” —David H. Roberts, MD, Steven P. Simcox, Patrick A. Clifford, and James H. Higby Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Today’s healthcare system is profoundly complicated, but we persist in trying to roll out breakthroughs as if the healthcare system were still just the straightforward “physician’s workshop” of the early 20th century. Only rarely do we employ research-quality analytics to assess how well our care delivery innovations really work in the practice. And shockingly, the US healthcare delivery system spends only 0.1% of revenue on R&D in how we actually deliver care. Small wonder that we find ourselves faced with the current medical paradox: Treatments that seemed miraculous at the beginning of our lifetimes are routine today, but low-quality care and medical errors harm millions of people worldwide even as spiraling healthcare costs bankrupt an unacceptable number of American families every year. Healthcare delivery science bridges this gap between scientific research and complex, real-world healthcare delivery and operations. With its engaging, clinically relevant style, Understanding Healthcare Delivery Science is the perfect introduction to this emerging field. This reader-friendly text pairs a thorough discussion of commonly available healthcare improvement tools and top-tier research methods with numerous case studies that put the content into a clinically relevant framework, making this text a valuable tool for administrators, researchers, and clinicians alike.




Health Systems Science E-Book


Book Description

The first textbook devoted to this emerging area, Health Systems Science now brings you fully up to date with today's key issues and solutions. This increasingly important branch of health care explores how health care is delivered, how health care professionals work together to deliver that care, and how the health system can improve patient care and health care delivery. Along with basic and clinical sciences, health systems science is rapidly becoming a crucial 'third pillar' of medical science, with an emphasis on understanding the role of human factors, systems engineering, leadership, and patient improvement strategies that will help transform the future of health care and ensure greater patient safety. In this 2nd Edition, new chapters, new exercises, and new information help you acquire the knowledge and skills you need for success in today's challenging healthcare system. - The first comprehensive text for mastering health systems science, offering practical coverage of all of the factors in the lives of patients that influence their well-being, the structures and processes of the health system itself, societal factors, communication, and information technology. - NEW to this edition: New content on systems thinking, ethics and legal issues, and international care models further define and address this new important component of health care education; additional exercises; and expanded information on the patient experience and private practice. - Complete coverage of patient safety, quality improvement, value in health care, teamwork, stewardship of health care resources, population health, clinical informatics, care coordination, leadership, and health care financing/reform. - Patient improvement strategies incorporate checklists, information technology, team training, and more. - A consistent chapter template provides clear coverage of each topic, including Learning Objectives, Chapter Outline, Core Chapter Content, Summary, Questions for Reflection, and Annotated Bibliography and References. - Developed by the American Medical Association's Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, and authored by a team that includes AMA staff members working with individuals from the Consortium member schools.




21st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures


Book Description

Extending beyond the human minds resources, 21st Century Science and Health reveals an ongoing supply of forward movement, satisfaction, and healing power.