What Is Health

What Is Health Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of What Is Health book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.

What Is Health?

Author : Peter Sterling
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 259 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2020-02-25
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262043304

Get Book

What Is Health? by Peter Sterling Pdf

An argument that health is optimal responsiveness and is often best treated at the system level. Medical education centers on the venerable “no-fault” concept of homeostasis, whereby local mechanisms impose constancy by correcting errors, and the brain serves mainly for emergencies. Yet, it turns out that most parameters are not constant; moreover, despite the importance of local mechanisms, the brain is definitely in charge. In this book, the eminent neuroscientist Peter Sterling describes a broader concept: allostasis (coined by Sterling and Joseph Eyer in the 1980s), whereby the brain anticipates needs and efficiently mobilizes supplies to prevent errors. Allostasis evolved early, Sterling explains, to optimize energy efficiency, relying heavily on brain circuits that deliver a brief reward for each positive surprise. Modern life so reduces the opportunities for surprise that we are driven to seek it in consumption: bigger burgers, more opioids, and innumerable activities that involve higher carbon emissions. The consequences include addiction, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and climate change. Sterling concludes that solutions must go beyond the merely technical to restore possibilities for daily small rewards and revivify the capacities for egalitarianism that were hard-wired into our nature. Sterling explains that allostasis offers what is not found in any medical textbook: principled definitions of health and disease: health as the capacity for adaptive variation and disease as shrinkage of that capacity. Sterling argues that since health is optimal responsiveness, many significant conditions are best treated at the system level.

Improving Health in the Community

Author : Institute of Medicine,Committee on Using Performance Monitoring to Improve Community Health
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 497 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 1997-05-21
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309055345

Get Book

Improving Health in the Community by Institute of Medicine,Committee on Using Performance Monitoring to Improve Community Health Pdf

How do communities protect and improve the health of their populations? Health care is part of the answer but so are environmental protections, social and educational services, adequate nutrition, and a host of other activities. With concern over funding constraints, making sure such activities are efficient and effective is becoming a high priority. Improving Health in the Community explains how population-based performance monitoring programs can help communities point their efforts in the right direction. Within a broad definition of community health, the committee addresses factors surrounding the implementation of performance monitoring and explores the "why" and "how to" of establishing mechanisms to monitor the performance of those who can influence community health. The book offers a policy framework, applies a multidimensional model of the determinants of health, and provides sets of prototype performance indicators for specific health issues. Improving Health in the Community presents an attainable vision of a process that can achieve community-wide health benefits.

Communities in Action

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice,Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 583 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2017-04-27
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309452960

Get Book

Communities in Action by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice,Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States Pdf

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

The Future of Public Health

Author : Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health,Division of Health Care Services,Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1988-01-15
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309581905

Get Book

The Future of Public Health by Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health,Division of Health Care Services,Institute of Medicine Pdf

"The Nation has lost sight of its public health goals and has allowed the system of public health to fall into 'disarray'," from The Future of Public Health. This startling book contains proposals for ensuring that public health service programs are efficient and effective enough to deal not only with the topics of today, but also with those of tomorrow. In addition, the authors make recommendations for core functions in public health assessment, policy development, and service assurances, and identify the level of government--federal, state, and local--at which these functions would best be handled.

Public Health: A Very Short Introduction

Author : Virginia Berridge
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2017-04-06
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780191002144

Get Book

Public Health: A Very Short Introduction by Virginia Berridge Pdf

Public health is a term much used in the media, by health professionals, and by activists. At the national or the local level there are ministries or departments of public health, whilst international agencies such as the World Health Organisation promote public health policies, and regional organisations such as the European Union have public health funding and policies. But what do we mean when we speak about 'public health'? In this Very Short Introduction Virginia Berridge explores the areas which fall under the remit of public health, and explains how the individual histories of different countries have come to cause great differences in the perception of the role and responsibilities of public health organisations. Thus, in the United States litigation on public health issues is common, but state involvement is less, while some Scandinavian countries have a tradition of state involvement or even state ownership of industries such as alcohol in connection with public health. In its narrowest sense, public health can refer to the health of a population, the longevity of individual members, and their freedom from disease, but it can also be anticipatory, geared to the prevention of illness, rather than simply the provision of care and treatment. In the way public health deals with healthy as well as sick people it is therefore a separate concept from health services, which deal with the sick population. Drawing on a wide range of international examples, Berridge demonstrates the central role of history to understanding the amorphous nature of public health today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Health Literacy

Author : Institute of Medicine,Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health,Committee on Health Literacy
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2004-06-29
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309133319

Get Book

Health Literacy by Institute of Medicine,Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health,Committee on Health Literacy Pdf

To maintain their own health and the health of their families and communities, consumers rely heavily on the health information that is available to them. This information is at the core of the partnerships that patients and their families forge with today's complex modern health systems. This information may be provided in a variety of forms â€" ranging from a discussion between a patient and a health care provider to a health promotion advertisement, a consent form, or one of many other forms of health communication common in our society. Yet millions of Americans cannot understand or act upon this information. To address this problem, the field of health literacy brings together research and practice from diverse fields including education, health services, and social and cultural sciences, and the many organizations whose actions can improve or impede health literacy. Health Literacy: Prescription to End Confusion examines the body of knowledge that applies to the field of health literacy, and recommends actions to promote a health literate society. By examining the extent of limited health literacy and the ways to improve it, we can improve the health of individuals and populations.

The New Public Health

Author : Theodore H. Tulchinsky,Elena A. Varavikova
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 912 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2014-03-26
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780124157675

Get Book

The New Public Health by Theodore H. Tulchinsky,Elena A. Varavikova Pdf

The New Public Health has established itself as a solid textbook throughout the world. Translated into 7 languages, this work distinguishes itself from other public health textbooks, which are either highly locally oriented or, if international, lack the specificity of local issues relevant to students' understanding of applied public health in their own setting. This 3e provides a unified approach to public health appropriate for all masters' level students and practitioners—specifically for courses in MPH programs, community health and preventive medicine programs, community health education programs, and community health nursing programs, as well as programs for other medical professionals such as pharmacy, physiotherapy, and other public health courses. Changes in infectious and chronic disease epidemiology including vaccines, health promotion, human resources for health and health technology Lessons from H1N1, pandemic threats, disease eradication, nutritional health Trends of health systems and reforms and consequences of current economic crisis for health Public health law, ethics, scientific d health technology advances and assessment Global Health environment, Millennium Development Goals and international NGOs

Ecohealth Research in Practice

Author : Dominique F. Charron
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2011-11-25
Category : Medical
ISBN : 1461405173

Get Book

Ecohealth Research in Practice by Dominique F. Charron Pdf

This book is about doing innovative research to achieve sustainable and equitable change in people’s health and well-being through improved interactions with the environment. It presents experiences from the field of ecosystem approaches to health (or ecohealth research) and some insights and lessons learned. It builds on previous literature, notably Forget (1997), Forget and Lebel (2001), Lebel (2003), and Waltner-Toews et al. (2008). Through case-studies and other contributions by researchers supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the book presents evidence of real changes in conditions of people, their health, and the ecosystems that support them. These changes were derived from applications of an ecosystem approach to health in developing regions of the world. The book also illustrates the resulting body of applied, participatory, and action research that improved health and environmental management in developing countries and, in many cases, influenced policies and practices.

Health-Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Health Care Services,Committee on Health Care Utilization and Adults with Disabilities
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2018-04-02
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309469210

Get Book

Health-Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Health Care Services,Committee on Health Care Utilization and Adults with Disabilities Pdf

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide benefits based on disability: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This report analyzes health care utilizations as they relate to impairment severity and SSA's definition of disability. Health Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination identifies types of utilizations that might be good proxies for "listing-level" severity; that is, what represents an impairment, or combination of impairments, that are severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity, regardless of age, education, or work experience.

Crossing the Quality Chasm

Author : Institute of Medicine,Committee on Quality of Health Care in America
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2001-08-19
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309072809

Get Book

Crossing the Quality Chasm by Institute of Medicine,Committee on Quality of Health Care in America Pdf

Second in a series of publications from the Institute of Medicine's Quality of Health Care in America project Today's health care providers have more research findings and more technology available to them than ever before. Yet recent reports have raised serious doubts about the quality of health care in America. Crossing the Quality Chasm makes an urgent call for fundamental change to close the quality gap. This book recommends a sweeping redesign of the American health care system and provides overarching principles for specific direction for policymakers, health care leaders, clinicians, regulators, purchasers, and others. In this comprehensive volume the committee offers: A set of performance expectations for the 21st century health care system. A set of 10 new rules to guide patient-clinician relationships. A suggested organizing framework to better align the incentives inherent in payment and accountability with improvements in quality. Key steps to promote evidence-based practice and strengthen clinical information systems. Analyzing health care organizations as complex systems, Crossing the Quality Chasm also documents the causes of the quality gap, identifies current practices that impede quality care, and explores how systems approaches can be used to implement change.

What Is the Evidence on the Role of the Arts in Improving Health and Well-Being

Author : Daisy Fancourt,Saoirse Finn
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 142 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2019-06
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9289054557

Get Book

What Is the Evidence on the Role of the Arts in Improving Health and Well-Being by Daisy Fancourt,Saoirse Finn Pdf

Over the past two decades, there has been a major increase in research into the effects of the arts on health and well-being, alongside developments in practice and policy activities in different countries across the WHO European Region and further afield. This report synthesizes the global evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being, with a specific focus on the WHO European Region. Results from over 3000 studies identified a major role for the arts in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across the lifespan. The reviewed evidence included study designs such as uncontrolled pilot studies, case studies, small-scale cross-sectional surveys, nationally representative longitudinal cohort studies, community-wide ethnographies and randomized controlled trials from diverse disciplines. The beneficial impact of the arts could be furthered through acknowledging and acting on the growing evidence base; promoting arts engagement at the individual, local and national levels; and supporting cross-sectoral collaboration.

Unequal Treatment

Author : Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Sciences Policy,Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 781 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2009-02-06
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309082655

Get Book

Unequal Treatment by Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Sciences Policy,Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Pdf

Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions. There is, however, increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain significant predictors of the quality of health care received. In Unequal Treatment, a panel of experts documents this evidence and explores how persons of color experience the health care environment. The book examines how disparities in treatment may arise in health care systems and looks at aspects of the clinical encounter that may contribute to such disparities. Patients' and providers' attitudes, expectations, and behavior are analyzed. How to intervene? Unequal Treatment offers recommendations for improvements in medical care financing, allocation of care, availability of language translation, community-based care, and other arenas. The committee highlights the potential of cross-cultural education to improve provider-patient communication and offers a detailed look at how to integrate cross-cultural learning within the health professions. The book concludes with recommendations for data collection and research initiatives. Unequal Treatment will be vitally important to health care policymakers, administrators, providers, educators, and students as well as advocates for people of color.

Health Protection

Author : Samuel Ghebrehewet,Alex G. Stewart,David Conrad
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 481 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Environmental health
ISBN : 9780198745471

Get Book

Health Protection by Samuel Ghebrehewet,Alex G. Stewart,David Conrad Pdf

Health Protection: Principles and practice is a practical guide for practitioners working at all levels in public health and health protection, including those with a non-specialist background. It is the first textbook in health protection to address all three domains within the field (communicable disease control; emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR); and environmental public health) in a comprehensive and integrated manner. Written by leading practitioners in the field, the book is rooted in a practice-led, all-hazards approach, which allows for easy real-world application of the topics discussed. The chapters are arranged in six sections, which begin with an in-depth introduction to the principles of health protection and go on to illuminate the three key elements of the field by providing: case studies and scenarios to describe common and important issues in the practice of health protection; health protection tools, which span epidemiology and statistics, infection control, immunisation, disease surveillance, and audit and service improvement; and evidence about new and emerging health protection issues. It includes more than 100 health protection checklists (SIMCARDs), covering infections from anthrax to yellow fever, non-infectious diseases emergencies and environmental hazards. Written from first-hand experience of managing communicable diseases these provide practical, stand-alone quick reference guides for in-practice use. Both the topical content of Health Protection: Principles and practice, and the clearly described health protection principles the book provides, makes it a highly relevant resource for wider public health and health protection professionals in this continually evolving field.

About Canada

Author : Dennis Raphael
Publisher : Fernwood Publishing
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Medical policy
ISBN : 1552663752

Get Book

About Canada by Dennis Raphael Pdf

Most Canadians believe that their health is shaped by luck, genetics, lifestyle choices, and treatment options--and government agencies, public health units, and disease associations all reinforce this perception. This study, however, tells a different story, arguing that it is the social determinants of health, as imposed by the financial markets, that dictate the health of Canadians today. Showing that health care can be greatly improved with simple changes to social policy, the discussion describes the impact of food, housing, employment, education, and social services on the nation`s health.

Insuring America's Health

Author : Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Care Services,Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2004-02-14
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309091053

Get Book

Insuring America's Health by Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Care Services,Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance Pdf

According to the Census Bureau, in 2003 more than 43 million Americans lacked health insurance. Being uninsured is associated with a range of adverse health, social, and economic consequences for individuals and their families, for the health care systems in their communities, and for the nation as a whole. This report is the sixth and final report in a series by the Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance, intended to synthesize what is known about these consequences and communicate the extent and urgency of the issue to the public. Insuring America's Health recommends principles related to universality, continuity of coverage, affordability to individuals and society, and quality of care to guide health insurance reform. These principles are based on the evidence reviewed in the committee's previous five reports and on new analyses of past and present federal, state, and local efforts to reduce uninsurance. The report also demonstrates how those principles can be used to assess policy options. The committee does not recommend a specific coverage strategy. Rather, it shows how various approaches could extend coverage and achieve certain of the committee's principles.