In this introductory textbook to epidemiology, students will discover the knowledge and skills required for managing population-based health care under health reform. Fundamental epidemiological techniques are presented teaching students to assess the health status of populations served; determine appropriate interventions based upon knowledge of factors which affect health status; and evaluate the impact of health care systems, programs, technologies, and policies on the health status of populations. Each chapter includes case studies and discussion questions.

Public Health

What is the relevance of epidemiology to decision making in the health services? If our ability to launch large-scale experimental studies of health services is limited, what are some alternative approaches to study design? How can we best make use of routinely collected data from health information systems? How can we best synthesize information to make more reasonable inferences? Epidemiology and Health Services is different from other books in the field. Many books and specialized publications have presented a comprehensive picture of epidemiologic methods, but they have not shown in a systematic way how these methods apply to health services. This book fills the gap, and goes even further by analyzing the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic methods in the context of health care delivery, and discussing approaches for making pertinent inferences in actual cases. The book addresses the needs of a broad spectrum of health professionals. It will help health service administrators, managers and other professionals design and conduct evaluative and intervention research on the delivery of health services. It will also give epidemiology and public health students a wider perspective on the various applications of the discipline.

A new edition of the comprehensive and practical introduction to managerial epidemiology and population health Managerial Epidemiology for Health Care Organizations has introduced the science of epidemiology and population health to students and practitioners in health management and health services for over sixteen years. The book covers epidemiology basics, introducing principles and traditional uses, and then expertly showing its contemporary uses in planning, evaluating, and managing health care for populations and the practical application in health care management. The book’s practical and applied approach, with real-world examples sprinkled throughout, has made it the go-to book for managerial epidemiology and population health courses. Since the second edition was published in 2005, the health care landscape has undergone significant changes. Passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the incorporation of ICD-10 have impacted the entire health care system. This newly updated third edition will address these two significant changes, as well as several others that have taken place. It also features new chapters on reimbursement approaches and managing infection outbreaks, as well as updates to the four case study chapters that anchor the book. Witness how epidemiological principles are applied to the delivery of health care services and the management of health care organizations Examine the major changes brought on by the passage of health care reform and incorporation of ICD-10 Discover the core epidemiology principles and see how they are applied in planning, evaluating, and managing health care for populations If you’re a student or professional in any area of health services, including health administration, nursing, and allied health, then Managerial Epidemiology for Health Care Organizations is the perfect book for you. It successfully demonstrates how health care executives can incorporate the practice of epidemiology into their various management functions and is rich with current examples, concepts, and case studies that reinforce the essential theories, methods, and applications of managerial epidemiology.

A clear, hands-on outline of best practices for infection prevention that directly improve patient outcomes across the healthcare continuum.

For patients and their loved ones, no care decisions are more profound than those made near the end of life. Unfortunately, the experience of dying in the United States is often characterized by fragmented care, inadequate treatment of distressing symptoms, frequent transitions among care settings, and enormous care responsibilities for families. According to this report, the current health care system of rendering more intensive services than are necessary and desired by patients, and the lack of coordination among programs increases risks to patients and creates avoidable burdens on them and their families. Dying in America is a study of the current state of health care for persons of all ages who are nearing the end of life. Death is not a strictly medical event. Ideally, health care for those nearing the end of life harmonizes with social, psychological, and spiritual support. All people with advanced illnesses who may be approaching the end of life are entitled to access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based care, consistent with their wishes. Dying in America evaluates strategies to integrate care into a person- and family-centered, team-based framework, and makes recommendations to create a system that coordinates care and supports and respects the choices of patients and their families. The findings and recommendations of this report will address the needs of patients and their families and assist policy makers, clinicians and their educational and credentialing bodies, leaders of health care delivery and financing organizations, researchers, public and private funders, religious and community leaders, advocates of better care, journalists, and the public to provide the best care possible for people nearing the end of life.

Over the past decades, epidemiology has made a relevant contribution to public health by identifying health problems and analysing their determinants. Recent developments call for new and applied methods to support the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health policies and programmes. This book presents an integrated overview of such epidemiological methods, to be used within the joined working process of several public health disciplines. It provides relevant theories, concepts and tools, illustrated with practical examples in order to empower epidemiologists in public health.The first part of this book describes epidemiological history in a nutshell and explains the relationship with the public health domain. It closes with the presentation of a joint work cycle for policy, practice and research: the public health cycle.Part two presents seven steps epidemiologists should follow to strengthen their contribution to the public health cycle: conduct a needs assessment, support priority setting, formulate aims and objectives, construct a logic model, develop an evaluation plan, perform quality control, and analyse processes and outcomes.Part three illustrates the institutional architecture of public health and describes the professional fields of policy and health promotion as knowledge of these major fields facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration in each stage of the public health cycle.This book is intended for students and epidemiologists in public health practice. It was written by 20 Dutch authors with either longstanding experience or fresh enthusiasm. The editors are all affiliated with Academic Collaborative Centres for Public Health in the Netherlands, which aim to bridge the gap between policy, practice and research.