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.

Written from a South African perspective by a team of oncology specialists, this comprehensive book gives health-care professionals an in-depth understanding and knowledge of oncology. The authors have all made significant contributions to developing oncology nursing as a speciality in the subcontinent. They stress comprehensive, holistic patient care by a multidisciplinary team. The book uses the scientific method to meet its core objectives.

This new book covers the basics of oncology for all practitioners who are likely to provide health care to cancer patients, especially those who do not have an oncology or medical background. Cancer educator David O'Halloran provides a unique insight by bridging the gap between normal anatomy and what happens when cancer develops. Information is provided using a layered approach, starting with simple concepts of general cancer biology and moving through to more complicated aspects of specific tumour sites and cancer treatment. Easy to read and follow, Oncology: An Introduction for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals is written in such a way that non-specialist readers will quickly understand complex terminology and concepts, making them relatable and understandable for experienced and junior nurses alike. - Logical and easy-to-follow approach - Accessible language throughout – does not assume a prior level of knowledge - Explains cancer terminology for non-experts - Takes a graded approach to information to help learning - Provides an understanding of cancer and how it progresses, how to link anatomy to the staging of cancer, and how to explain how modern cancer treatments work - Invaluable in helping explain conditions and treatment to patients and families - Self-assessment exercises throughout help test learning

Marie Curie Care is a UK charity providing training and care for patients with cancer. The purpose of this book is to provide background information for nurses working in, but not trained in, cancer care. Over the years, Marie Curie Care has offered short courses, available throughout the UK, to all nurses. This book reflects these courses and the main subjects that are addressed include: health promotion - screening for cancer; surgery, chemotherapy, biological and hormonal therapy, and radiotherapy; communication skills, including bereavement support; palliative care; continuing care; ethics; rehabilitation; sources of help and education.

In the United States, approximately 14 million people have had cancer and more than 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. However, more than a decade after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) first studied the quality of cancer care, the barriers to achieving excellent care for all cancer patients remain daunting. Care often is not patient-centered, many patients do not receive palliative care to manage their symptoms and side effects from treatment, and decisions about care often are not based on the latest scientific evidence. The cost of cancer care also is rising faster than many sectors of medicine--having increased to $125 billion in 2010 from $72 billion in 2004--and is projected to reach $173 billion by 2020. Rising costs are making cancer care less affordable for patients and their families and are creating disparities in patients' access to high-quality cancer care. There also are growing shortages of health professionals skilled in providing cancer care, and the number of adults age 65 and older--the group most susceptible to cancer--is expected to double by 2030, contributing to a 45 percent increase in the number of people developing cancer. The current care delivery system is poorly prepared to address the care needs of this population, which are complex due to altered physiology, functional and cognitive impairment, multiple coexisting diseases, increased side effects from treatment, and greater need for social support. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis presents a conceptual framework for improving the quality of cancer care. This study proposes improvements to six interconnected components of care: (1) engaged patients; (2) an adequately staffed, trained, and coordinated workforce; (3) evidence-based care; (4) learning health care information technology (IT); (5) translation of evidence into clinical practice, quality measurement and performance improvement; and (6) accessible and affordable care. This report recommends changes across the board in these areas to improve the quality of care. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis provides information for cancer care teams, patients and their families, researchers, quality metrics developers, and payers, as well as HHS, other federal agencies, and industry to reevaluate their current roles and responsibilities in cancer care and work together to develop a higher quality care delivery system. By working toward this shared goal, the cancer care community can improve the quality of life and outcomes for people facing a cancer diagnosis.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.