Today, as never before, healthcare has the ability to enhance the quality and duration of life. At the same time, healthcare has become so costly that it can easily bankrupt governments and impoverish individuals and families. Health services research is a highly multidisciplinary field, including such areas as health administration, health economics, medical sociology, medicine, , political science, public health, and public policy. The Encyclopedia of Health Services Research is the first single reference source to capture the diversity and complexity of the field. With more than 400 entries, these two volumes investigate the relationship between the factors of cost, quality, and access to healthcare and their impact upon medical outcomes such as death, disability, disease, discomfort, and dissatisfaction with care. Key Features Examines the growing healthcare crisis facing the United States Encompasses the structure, process, and outcomes of healthcare Aims to improve the equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of healthcare by influencing and developing public policies Describes healthcare systems and issues from around the globe Key Themes Access to Care Accreditation, Associations, Foundations, and Research Organizations Biographies of Current and Past Leaders Cost of Care, Economics, Finance, and Payment Mechanisms Disease, Disability, Health, and Health Behavior Government and International Healthcare Organizations Health Insurance Health Professionals and Healthcare Organizations Health Services Research Laws, Regulations, and Ethics Measurement; Data Sources and Coding; and Research Methods Outcomes of Care Policy Issues, Healthcare Reform, and International Comparisons Public Health Quality and Safety of Care Special and Vulnerable Groups The Encyclopedia is designed to be an introduction to the various topics of health services research for an audience including undergraduate students, graduate students, andgeneral readers seeking non-technical descriptions of the field and its practices. It is also useful for healthcare practitioners wishing to stay abreast of the changes and updates in the field.

Children spend more time at school than anywhere else except home; thus, schools can have a major effect on children′s health by providing a healthy physical environment, serving meals and snacks built around sound nutritional guidelines, and teaching about health, as well as modeling and promoting healthy behaviors. School health services programs involve not only school nurses and focus not only on nursing practice, standards, and performance issues; they also include services and classes to teach students the information and skills they need to become health-literate, to maintain and improve their health, to prevent disease, and to reduce risky behaviors impacting health. School nurses, teachers, administrators, health coordinators, guidance counselors and social workers all join with parents in safeguarding and promoting the health and well-being of school-aged children as a basic foundation for academic success. The Encyclopedia of School Health offers quick access to health and wellness information most relevant to children in America′s K-12 school setting. You′ll find valuable guidance on developmental stages, acute and chronic illnesses, special education, nutrition, crisis response, prevention, and more.

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These three volumes sort out the science behind nightly news reports and magazine cover stories, and help define the interdisciplinary field of lifestyle medicine and health.

This encyclopedia comprehensively covers all aspects of what has become the dynamic domain of behavioral medicine. It collects together the knowledge generated by this interdisciplinary field, highlighting the links between science and practice.

Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, Second Edition, Six Volume Set presents the newest release in this fundamental reference that updates and broadens the umbrella of environmental health, especially social and environmental health for its readers. There is ongoing revolution in governance, policies and intervention strategies aimed at evolving changes in health disparities, disease burden, trans-boundary transport and health hazards. This new edition reflects these realities, mapping new directions in the field that include how to minimize threats and develop new scientific paradigms that address emerging local, national and global environmental concerns. Represents a one-stop resource for scientifically reliable information on environmental health Fills a critical gap, with information on one of the most rapidly growing scientific fields of our time Provides comparative approaches to environmental health practice and research in different countries and regions of the world Covers issues behind specific questions and describes the best available scientific methods for environmental risk assessment

Designated a Reference Reviews Top Ten Print Reference Source 2005 The Encyclopedia of Women's Health meets this challenge by bringing together an impressive array of experts on topics from reproductive issues to gastrointestinal illnesses. This skilfully edited volume, informed by current health issues and health-care realities, offers readers practical information, historical aspects, and future directions, all meticulously researched and conveniently presented. Key features include: -Accessible A-to-Z coverage, including AIDS, birth control, hormone replacement therapy, teen pregnancy, sexual harassment, violence, body image, access to health care and more. -Entries spanning the medical, psychological, sociocultural, spiritual, and legal arenas. -Medical topics explored from both conventional and complementary perspectives. -Cross-cultural data illustrate issues as they apply to minority women, rural women, the elderly, and other underserved populations. -Special chapters on disparities in women's health and health care. -Historical overview of women in health - as patients and as professionals. -Suggested readings and resource lists.