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.

Comprehensive and practice-oriented, the fully updated 3rd Edition of this easy-to-use text covers the full range of obstetric and gynecologic pathology, including information on treatment and patient management. Written largely by the pathology and clinical faculty at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, it covers the most up-to-date information available in the field, including molecular genetics and diagnostics. Drs. Christopher P. Crum and Marisa R. Nucci are joined by new editors Scott R. Granter, Brooke E. Howitt, Mana M. Parast, and Theonia K. Boyd, to provide complete, beautifully illustrated coverage of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic disorders of the female genital system, ideal for improving pathological diagnosis. - Provides distinct diagnostic/differential diagnostic criteria for any potential obstetric/gynecologic specimen encountered in practice. - Features more than 2,250 full-color images, key points at the end of each chapter, and an appendix with commonly used ICD-10 codes - Covers topics not often found in gynecologic pathology textbooks, such as vulvodynia, and diseases of the anus. - Approaches topics from a practice-oriented point of view, beginning with clinical presentation and progressing through histopathology, differential diagnosis, and treatment for each disorder. - Emphasizes new practice issues and their biologic basis including approaches to vulvar, cervical and endometrial precursors as well as the underpinnings of cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancer. - A comprehensive look at mesenchymal neoplasia, including not only lower genital tract and uterus but also the retroperitoneum. - Expert ConsultTM eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a worldwide problem affecting all nations and races. Such diseases are especially prevalent in developing countries where insufficient health care centers, inadequate laboratory capabilities, and the unavailablity of appropriate treatment perpetuate the problem. Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Epidemiology, Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment addresses the therapeutic challenges posed by STDs. It covers bacterial, spirochete, fungal, protozoan, viral, and ectoparasite infections. Strategies and progress in eliminating these diseases worldwide are discussed.