Ask for a definition of primary care, and you are likely to hear as many answers as there are health care professionals in your survey. Primary Care fills this gap with a detailed definition already adopted by professional organizations and praised at recent conferences. This volume makes recommendations for improving primary care, building its organization, financing, infrastructure, and knowledge baseâ€"as well as developing a way of thinking and acting for primary care clinicians. Are there enough primary care doctors? Are they merely gatekeepers? Is the traditional relationship between patient and doctor outmoded? The committee draws conclusions about these and other controversies in a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion that covers: The scope of primary care. Its philosophical underpinnings. Its value to the patient and the community. Its impact on cost, access, and quality. This volume discusses the needs of special populations, the role of the capitation method of payment, and more. Recommendations are offered for achieving a more multidisciplinary education for primary care clinicians. Research priorities are identified. Primary Care provides a forward-thinking view of primary care as it should be practiced in the new integrated health care delivery systemsâ€"important to health care clinicians and those who train and employ them, policymakers at all levels, health care managers, payers, and interested individuals.

Bringing together treatment and referral advice from existing guidelines, this text aims to improve access to services and recognition of common mental health disorders in adults and provide advice on the principles that need to be adopted to develop appropriate referral and local care pathways.

An invaluable guide to psychiatric presentation, diagnosis and treatment in a primary care setting.

There is increasing development and use of care pathways and a growing demand for guidance and advice on how to develop them. This practical guide meets this demand. It reflects the latest experience and incorporates best practice with contributions from highly experienced members of the National Pathways Association. It links well with the coming National Service Frameworks and National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance. Case studies legal questions and common difficulties are all included and examined. Developing Care Pathways is in two parts: the handbook which defines and describes pathways and the roles of healthcare professionals involved with them and the tool kit which provides a detailed step-by-step guide to developing a care pathway. This work is essential reading for managers and clinicians in organisations developing care pathways throughout secondary and primary care.

There is increasing development and use of care pathways and a growing demand for guidance and advice on how to develop them. This practical guide meets this demand. It reflects the latest experience and incorporates best practice with contributions from highly experienced members of the National Pathways Association. It links well with the coming National Service Frameworks and National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance. Case studies legal questions and common difficulties are all included and examined. Developing Care Pathways is in two parts: the handbook which defines and describes pathways and the roles of healthcare professionals involved with them and the tool kit which provides a detailed step-by-step guide to developing a care pathway. This work is essential reading for managers and clinicians in organisations developing care pathways throughout secondary and primary care.

A comprehensive guide to this emerging field, fully updated to cover clinical, policy, and practical issues with a user-centred approach.

Each year, more than 33 million Americans receive health care for mental or substance-use conditions, or both. Together, mental and substance-use illnesses are the leading cause of death and disability for women, the highest for men ages 15-44, and the second highest for all men. Effective treatments exist, but services are frequently fragmented and, as with general health care, there are barriers that prevent many from receiving these treatments as designed or at all. The consequences of this are seriousâ€"for these individuals and their families; their employers and the workforce; for the nation's economy; as well as the education, welfare, and justice systems. Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions examines the distinctive characteristics of health care for mental and substance-use conditions, including payment, benefit coverage, and regulatory issues, as well as health care organization and delivery issues. This new volume in the Quality Chasm series puts forth an agenda for improving the quality of this care based on this analysis. Patients and their families, primary health care providers, specialty mental health and substance-use treatment providers, health care organizations, health plans, purchasers of group health care, and all involved in health care for mental and substanceâ€"use conditions will benefit from this guide to achieving better care.