Download or read book Interpreting Health Benefits and Risks written by Erik Rifkin and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-14 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely guide to communication in patient-centered medicine argues for greater clarity in explaining health risks versus benefits of an array of screening tests, procedures, and drug regimens. It reviews the growing trend toward patients' involvement in their own care, particularly in terms of chronic conditions, and details approaches physicians can use to prepare patients (and themselves) for collaborative decision-making based on informed choices and clear, meaningful knowledge. Chapters apply this lens to a wide range of common interventions as contentious as estrogen replacement therapy and antibiotics, and as widely prescribed as the daily aspirin and the annual physical. With this goal in mind, the authors also introduce an innovative decision-making tool that translates risks and benefits into a clear graphic format for fewer chances of miscommunication or misunderstanding. Among the topics covered: Involving the patient in decision making. Towards a universal decision aid. BRCT: the Benefit/Risk Characterization Theater. Breast Cancer Screening—Mammograms. Prostate Cancer Screening. Colon cancer screening with colonoscopy. Screening for and treating dementia. Statins, cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Physicians in family and internal medicine will find Interpreting Health Benefits and Risks: A Practical Guide to Facilitate Doctor- Patient Communication a valuable resource for communicating with patients and new possibilities for working toward their better health and health education. This book considers several common and important situations where faulty decision-making makes overtreatment a serious risk. Clear, fair, referenced, and useful information is provided. And a powerful intuitive technique is introduced which allows patient and doctor to talk as equals as they work together in the exam room. The authors emphasize that some patients who have been fully educated will still accept high risks of harm for a small chance of avoiding premature death. But as this book is accepted and its ideas and technique are extended, I feel sure that net harm to patients will be curtailed. And what is more, the integrity of the decision-making process will be improved. —Thomas Finucane, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Download or read book Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-07-09 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, advances in biomedical research have helped save or lengthen the lives of children around the world. With improved therapies, child and adolescent mortality rates have decreased significantly in the last half century. Despite these advances, pediatricians and others argue that children have not shared equally with adults in biomedical advances. Even though we want children to benefit from the dramatic and accelerating rate of progress in medical care that has been fueled by scientific research, we do not want to place children at risk of being harmed by participating in clinical studies. Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children considers the necessities and challenges of this type of research and reviews the ethical and legal standards for conducting it. It also considers problems with the interpretation and application of these standards and conduct, concluding that while children should not be excluded from potentially beneficial clinical studies, some research that is ethically permissible for adults is not acceptable for children, who usually do not have the legal capacity or maturity to make informed decisions about research participation. The book looks at the need for appropriate pediatric expertise at all stages of the design, review, and conduct of a research project to effectively implement policies to protect children. It argues persuasively that a robust system for protecting human research participants in general is a necessary foundation for protecting child research participants in particular.
Download or read book Improving Diagnosis in Health Care written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-12-29 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.
Download or read book Utilizing Effective Risk Communication in COVID 19 written by Andy Lazris and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-08-13 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book demonstrates how a novel decision-aid, called a Benefit-Risk Characterization Theater (BRCT), can be used to: · Significantly improve accurate communication of health risks from exposure to COVID-19; and · Assess how to best contain and control COVID-19. To date, there have been far-reaching ramifications based on ineffective risk communication when clarifying these health endpoints. A BRCT is a familiar, theatrical chart representation of 1,000 people, with the risks and benefits shown by blackened seats. Since health outcomes can easily be put into such a chart, we show how BRCTs can be used objectively by professionals, the media and lay people. It allows characterization and communication of health benefits and risks of COVID-19 treatment and containment in an undemanding and straightforward way. BRCTs have been successfully used to assist patients in determining: · Their level of acceptable risk of various medical interventions; · If the benefits of intervention outweigh the risks; · Who should make the final decision regarding medical intervention; and · Whether the decision is evidence-based. Written by experts in the field, this book fills in a gap in communication between the medical community, the public and patients. It also provides an area of expertise in communication that is beneficial for medical providers and medical students.
Download or read book Curing Medicare written by Andy Lazris and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-14 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Andy Lazris, MD, is a practicing primary care physician who experiences the effects of Medicare policy on a daily basis. As a result, he believes that the way we care for our elderly has taken a wrong turn and that Medicare is complicit in creating the very problems it seeks to solve. Aging is not a disease to be cured; it is a life stage to be lived. Lazris argues that aggressive treatments cannot change that fact but only get in the way and decrease quality of life. Unfortunately, Medicare’s payment structure and rules deprive the elderly of the chance to pursue less aggressive care, which often yields the most humane and effective results. Medicare encourages and will pay more readily for hospitalization than for palliative and home care. It encourages and pays for high-tech assaults on disease rather than for the primary care that can make a real difference in the lives of the elderly. Lazris offers straightforward solutions to ensure Medicare’s solvency through sensible cost-effective plans that do not restrict patient choice or negate the doctor-patient relationship. Using both data and personal stories, he shows how Medicare needs to change in structure and purpose as the population ages, the physician pool becomes more specialized, and new medical technology becomes available. Curing Medicare demonstrates which medical interventions (medicines, tests, procedures) work and which can be harmful in many common conditions in the elderly; the harms and benefits of hospitalization; the current culture of long-term care; and how Medicare often promotes care that is ineffective, expensive, and contrary to what many elderly patients and their families really want.
Download or read book The Illusion of Certainty written by Erik Rifkin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-09-14 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an understanding and appreciation of the risk assessment process and the ability to objectively interpret health risk values. Included is an explanation of the uncertainty inherent in the assessment of risks as well as an explanation of how the communication and characterization of risks can dramatically alter the perception of those risks. Case studies illustrate the strengths and limitations of characterizing certain risks. Using the accepted risk assessment paradigm proposed by the National Research Council, these case studies illustrate which risk values have merit and why other assessments fail to meet basic criteria.
Download or read book Smart Health Choices written by Les Irwig and published by Judy Irwig. This book was released on 2008 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every day we make decisions about our health - some big and some small. What we eat, how we live and even where we live can affect our health. But how can we be sure that the advice we are given about these important matters is right for us? This book will provide you with the right tools for assessing health advice.
Download or read book Handbook of Research on Advancing Health Education through Technology written by Wang, Victor C.X. and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2015-09-21 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Internet serves as an essential tool in promoting health awareness through the circulation of important research among the medical professional community. While digital tools and technologies have greatly improved healthcare, challenges are still prevalent among diverse populations worldwide. The Handbook of Research on Advancing Health Education through Technology presents a comprehensive discussion of health knowledge equity and the importance of the digital age in providing life-saving data for diagnosis and treatment of diverse populations with limited resources. Featuring timely, research-based chapters across a broad spectrum of topic areas including, but not limited to, online health information resources, data management and analysis, and knowledge accessibility, this publication is an essential reference source for researchers, academicians, medical professionals, and upper level students interested in the advancement and dissemination of medical knowledge.
Download or read book Interpreting Epidemiologic Evidence written by David A. Savitz and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2003-06-05 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluating the strength or persuasiveness of epidemiologic evidence is inherently challenging, both for those new to the field and for experienced researchers. There are a myriad of potential biases to consider, but little guidance about how to asses the likely impact on study results. This book offers a strategy for assessing epidemiologic research findings, explicitly describing the goals and products of epidemiologic research in order to better evaluate it successes and limitations. The focus throughout is on practical tools for making optimal use of available data to assess whether hypothesized biases are operative and to anticipate concerns at the point of study design in order to ensure that needed information is generated. Specific tools for assessing the presence and impact of selection bias in both cohort and case-control studies, bias from non-response, confounding, exposure measurement error, disease measurement error, and random error are identified and evaluated. The potential value of each approach as well as its limitations are discussed, using examples from the published literature. Such information should help those who generate and interpret epidemiologic research to apply methodological principles more effectively to substantive issues, leading to a more accurate appraisal of the current evidence and greater clarity about research needs.
Download or read book Canadian Maternity and Pediatric Nursing written by Jessica Webster and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book was released on 2019-08-14 with total page 3734 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Canadian Maternity and Pediatric Nursing prepares your students for safe and effective maternity and pediatric nursing practice. The content provides the student with essential information to care for women and their families, to assist them to make the right choices safely, intelligently, and with confidence.
Download or read book Health Literacy Breakthroughs in Research and Practice written by Management Association, Information Resources and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2017-04-17 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development of better processes to relay medical information has enhanced the healthcare field. By implementing effective collaborative strategies, this ensures proper quality and instruction for both the patient and medical practitioners. Health Literacy: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice examines the latest advances in providing and helping patients and medical professionals to understand basic health information and the services that are most appropriate. Including innovative studies on interactive health information, health communication, and health education, this multi-volume book is an ideal source for professionals, researchers, academics, practitioners, and students interested in the improvement of health literacy.
Download or read book Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Drinking Water Risk Assessment and Management written by Eric G. Reichard and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Benefit Risk Appraisal of Medicines written by Filip Mussen and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-08-04 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benefit-risk assessment is at the centre of the approval process for every new medicine. The ability to assess the risks of a new medicine accurately and to balance these against the benefits the medicine could bring is critical for every regulatory authority and pharmaceutical company. Despite this there are very few tried and tested evaluative models currently available. The authors of this book have developed a new, pioneering tool for the assessment of benefits and risks for new medicines in development. This model utilises a multi-criteria decision analysis which involves selecting, scoring and weighting key benefit and risk attributes and leads to an overall appraisal of benefits and risks of medicines. Benefit-Risk Appraisal of Medicines establishes the background and criteria required to assess benefit and risk in general and reviews the current practices by regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry, including those models currently available. It outlines the development and evaluation of the authors’ new model and analyses the implications of its implementation. Describes an innovative, systematic model which leads to transparent and responsible benefit-risk decision making Contributes important ideas to the debate on benefit-risk appraisal Provides a future framework for benefit-risk appraisal of medicines Benefit-Risk Appraisal of Medicines covers the entire process from the discovery of new medicines to their marketing and is ideal for all those who work in the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory authorities,, as well as post-graduate students of pharmaceutical medicine and clinical pharmacology.
Download or read book Improving Medical Outcomes written by Jessica Leavitt and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2011-10-16 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problems faced by medical doctors and automobile mechanics are in some ways quite similar-something isn't working right and must be fixed. They must both figure out the cause of malfunctions and determine the appropriate treatments. Yet, the mechanichas no need to worry about an automobile's psyche; the specific mechanical factors are the only ones that come into play. In health care, however, the factors influencing outcomes are broader, more complicated, and colored by the underlying psychologicalfactors of those involved. These factors have profound effects. Doctors are often influenced by patients' description of symptoms, yet information is often incomplete or inaccurate or colored by the patient's own experiences. The doctor's own demeanor maygreatly affect outcomes, as can the doctor's ability to interpret the ever-expanding medical literature. These underlying influences are often not acknowledged, and yet they can have far-reaching consequences. Acknowledging these psychological factors and learning how to overcome them is the first step in improving communications between doctors and patients and to improving diagnosis and treatment. Here, the authors offer strategies for remedying the situation and moving forward to a better understanding of doctor-patient visits and their outcomes.
Download or read book Unequal Treatment written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-02-06 with total page 781 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions. There is, however, increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain significant predictors of the quality of health care received. In Unequal Treatment, a panel of experts documents this evidence and explores how persons of color experience the health care environment. The book examines how disparities in treatment may arise in health care systems and looks at aspects of the clinical encounter that may contribute to such disparities. Patients' and providers' attitudes, expectations, and behavior are analyzed. How to intervene? Unequal Treatment offers recommendations for improvements in medical care financing, allocation of care, availability of language translation, community-based care, and other arenas. The committee highlights the potential of cross-cultural education to improve provider-patient communication and offers a detailed look at how to integrate cross-cultural learning within the health professions. The book concludes with recommendations for data collection and research initiatives. Unequal Treatment will be vitally important to health care policymakers, administrators, providers, educators, and students as well as advocates for people of color.
Download or read book Health Literacy written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-06-29 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To maintain their own health and the health of their families and communities, consumers rely heavily on the health information that is available to them. This information is at the core of the partnerships that patients and their families forge with today's complex modern health systems. This information may be provided in a variety of forms â€" ranging from a discussion between a patient and a health care provider to a health promotion advertisement, a consent form, or one of many other forms of health communication common in our society. Yet millions of Americans cannot understand or act upon this information. To address this problem, the field of health literacy brings together research and practice from diverse fields including education, health services, and social and cultural sciences, and the many organizations whose actions can improve or impede health literacy. Health Literacy: Prescription to End Confusion examines the body of knowledge that applies to the field of health literacy, and recommends actions to promote a health literate society. By examining the extent of limited health literacy and the ways to improve it, we can improve the health of individuals and populations.
Download or read book Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-03-24 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent possible harms. Ten years ago, to address these concerns as well as set guidelines for ethical health research, Congress called for a set of federal standards now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should, and that it impedes important health research.
