How work gets done in complex health care systems is ethically important. When health care professionals and other staff are pressured to improvise, fix structural problems, or comply with competing policies, the uncertainty and distress they experience have potential consequences for patients, families, colleagues, and the system itself. This book presents a new theory of health care ethics that is grounded in the nature of health care work and how it is shaped by the ever-changing condit...

Medical error is a leading problem of health care in the United States. Each year, more patients die as a result of medical mistakes than are killed by motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS.While most government and regulatory efforts are directed toward reducing and preventing errors, the actions that should follow the injury or death of a patient are still hotly debated. According to Nancy Berlinger, conversations on patient safety are missing several important componen...

The physical and emotional effects of ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis are explained in the new fourth edition of this informative handbook. Ulcerative colitis is a recurrent, idiopathic inflammatory disorder involving the mucosa and submucosa of the colon, which has been reported in virtually every region of the world. Difficult to diagnose and treat effectively, the signs and symptoms of ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis are reviewed in detail in this newly revised h...

The leading clinical reference source on therapeutic antimicrobials, this latest edition contains up-to-date treatment guidelines and algorithms for most infections in an expanded, easy-to-read format. Composed by a team of expert contributing editors, this book is conveniently organized and tabbed for quick reference of drug toxicities, prophylaxis strategies, and dosage options. Now available with spiral binding, that allows the book to open flat for ease of use. Two compact, portable si...

Fibromyalgia is a complex, multifaceted syndrome that presents a major challenge to clinicians in establishing a diagnosis and in evaluating the effects of treatment. However, current research and improved diagnostic criteria are helping clinicians improve their knowledge of the fibromyalgia patient population, and new drugs better targeted to the specific pathophysiology of the condition are being shown to improve and individualize the treatment of fibromyalgia patients. These advances ma...

Practice-based text and illustrations make this handbook an invaluable reference guide for primary care physicians who are treating patients who are obese or who are approaching obesity. A detailed discussion covering the complexities of the metabolic syndrome is also included in this handbook.

Pain can be both physiologically and psychologically debilitating. Furthermore, pain management can be complex. This text guides clinicians in assessing and treating acute and chronic pain. In the 3rd edition of this comprehensive handbook, the author, an international expert in pain management, discusses many different types of pain as well as pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment options.

In this timely handbook, an expert in oncology explains the risk factors for contracting breast cancer and the pathogenesis of the disease, discusses the complexities of diagnosis, and offers a detailed examination of surgical treatments and the latest drug therapies, including raloxifene (Evista®).

Medical evidence plays a vital part in many criminal prosecutions, most notably when serious injury or physical abuse is part of the prosecution's case. Now in its third edition, this book is an essential text for practitioners of clinical forensic medicine and for those who take them through judicial proceedings, be they prosecutors or defence lawyers. It is written by a team of skilled and experienced authors with practical issues firmly in mind. The book has been revised to take account...

Health systems need to set priorities fairly. In one way or another, part of this important task will fall to physicians. How do they make judgments about resource stewardship, and how should they do so? How can they make such decisions in a manner that is compatible with their clinical duties to patients? In this book, philosophers, bioethicists, physicians, lawyers and health policy experts make the case that priority setting and rationing contribute significantly to the possibility of a...

This handbook extensively discusses how an enlarged prostate can affect the quality of life and psychological well-being of men who suffer from the disorder. Featuring informative illustrations, the handbook also includes a section with the answers to the 20 most frequently asked questions about the enlarged prostate.

This handbook includes current data from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines on antithrombotic and thrombolytic therapy, the latest information on heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia with thrombosis (HITT), and an in-depth discussion of the drugs and dosages to use in combating deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The handbook also offers a section on clinical pathways, which will allow physicians to develop ...