Health Care in America


Book Description

The essays in this collection have been written by a new generation of social historians who seek to ground the internal developments in medicine and health care in a political, social, and cultural matrix. Drawing upon the methodology of the new social history, the authors use oral history, hospital records, city directories, rank and file writings, as well as more traditional historical sources to examine the groups, institutions, and social movements which brought about changes in the American health system at particular historical moments. The essays in this volume address three themes of central concern to the health field: the shifting boundaries between professional and lay control over the definition of health and disease; the social and economic consequences of the changing focus of health care delivery; and the complex relationship between workers, professionals, and health care institutions. -- from Book Jacket.




Justice and Health Care


Book Description

This volume brings together ten essays that have been published over a period of more than two decades in a wide range of venues and arranges them in such a way as to demonstrate the systematic progression of the author's thinking. This volume bridges the disciplinary chasm between Bioethics and Political Philosophy.




Communities in Action


Book Description

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.







Health Professions Education


Book Description

The Institute of Medicine study Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001) recommended that an interdisciplinary summit be held to further reform of health professions education in order to enhance quality and patient safety. Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality is the follow up to that summit, held in June 2002, where 150 participants across disciplines and occupations developed ideas about how to integrate a core set of competencies into health professions education. These core competencies include patient-centered care, interdisciplinary teams, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics. This book recommends a mix of approaches to health education improvement, including those related to oversight processes, the training environment, research, public reporting, and leadership. Educators, administrators, and health professionals can use this book to help achieve an approach to education that better prepares clinicians to meet both the needs of patients and the requirements of a changing health care system.




In Search of the Perfect Health System


Book Description

A practical, succinct guide to the major health systems around the world and what lessons can be drawn from each about improving health worldwide. The essays are designed to give the reader essential knowledge of the history, strengths, weaknesses and lessons of each health system.







Care Evolution: Essays on Health as a Social Imperative


Book Description

Healthcare: Beyond Reform. The discussions about healthcare in America are fundamentally flawed, because we're more focused on how we pay for care than how we care. Author Steven Merahn, MD, cuts through the debate with one question: Do we have a social imperative to equitably improve and sustain the quality of health of all citizens? In a series of essays, Merahn crafts an aspirational vision for the health of our nation based on the value a healthy citizenry brings to society. Written for policymakers and healthcare providers, this book provides a deep understanding of the chaotic forces that have shaped our current system and outlines a framework of organizing principles and interaction design to support its productive and positive evolution.







Three Essays in Search of a Conversation


Book Description

These essays are for Americans concerned about the future of our country and for policy wonks. By and large, the political process is controlled by those who take an intertest in politics, large in number but small as a percent of population. Are you a member of the political class? Membership is voluntary. Our first 800 years of thinking: science culture and empathy from the Enlightenment ~1600 to ~ 2400 The Crisis of the Anthropocene: The most comprehensive description of all issues of the crisis in less than 100 pages. For the purpose of going through your mind to influence your brain. Musings on our Present Discontent: America, not advanced, not a democracy. Right to life for baby; right to choose for mom. Taxation. The security of a free state. Issues not discussed. The threat from within, Trumpism. The threat from without: Putinism. How to participate. Renewal.