Public Health and Epidemiology

Most accounts of health and healthcare in Africa are written by foreigners. African Health Leaders: Making Change and Claiming the Future redresses the balance. Written by Africans, who have themselves led improvements in their own countries, this online resource discusses the creativity, innovation and leadership that has been involved tackling everything from HIV/AIDs, to maternal, and child mortality and neglected tropical diseases. It celebrates their achievements and shows how, over three generations, African health leaders are creating a distinctively African vision of health and health systems. It covers how African Health Leaders are claiming the future - in Africa, but also by sharing their insights and knowledge globally and contributing fully to improving health throughout the world, and illustrates how African leadership can enable foreign agencies and individuals working in Africa to avoid all those misunderstandings and misinterpretations of culture and context which lead to wasted efforts and frustrated hopes. It also addresses the need to tackle weak governance, corrupt systems and low expectations and sets out what Africa needs from the rest of the world in the spirit of global solidarity - not primarily in aid, but through investment, collaboration, partnership and co-development.Less

This book presents a system of critical appraisal applicable to clinical, epidemiological and public health studies and to many other fields. It assumes no prior knowledge. The methods are relevant to students, practitioners and policymakers. The book shows how to assess if the results of one study or of many studies show a causal effect. The book discusses study designs: randomised and non-randomised trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and surveys, showing the presentation of results including person-time and survival analysis, and issues in the selection of subjects. The system shows how to describe a study, how to detect and assess selection biases, observation bias, confounding, and chance variation, and how to assess internal validity and external validity (generalisability). Statistical methods are presented assuming no previous knowledge, and showing applications to each study design. Positive features of causation including strength, dose-response, and consistency are discussed. The book shows how to do systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and discusses publication bias. Systems of assessing all evidence are shown, leading to a general method of critical appraisal based on 20 key questions in five groups, which can be applied to any type of study or any topic. Six chapters show the application of this method to randomised trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, and case-control studies. An appendix summarises key statistical methods, each with a worked example. Each main chapter has self-test questions, with answers provided.Less

It is becoming increasingly important to examine the relationship between the outcomes of a clinical trial and the costs of the medical therapy under study. The results of such analysis can affect reimbursement decisions for new medical technologies, drugs, devices or diagnostics. It can aid companies seeking to make claims about the cost-effectiveness of their product, as well as allowing early consideration of the economic value of therapies which may be important to improving initial adoption decisions. It is also vital for addressing the requirements of regulatory bodies. Economic Evaluation in Clinical Trials provides practical advice on how to conduct cost-effectiveness analyses in controlled trials of medical therapies. This new edition has been extensively rewritten and revised; topics discussed range from design issues such as the types of services that should be measured and price weights, to assessment of quality-adjusted life years. Illustrative materials, case histories and worked examples are included to encourage the reader to apply the methods discussed. Less

Assessing and addressing the risks of chemical hazards requires a sound knowledge of toxicology, environmental epidemiology, environmental science, health risk assessment, and public health principles. Essentials of Environmental Public Health Science provides practical guidance on the technical aspects of environmental and public health investigations. Written by leaders in the field, the authors provide practical, expert advice on a range of topics from key concepts and framework for investigation to contaminated land and waste management. Case studies are used to aid learning and understand of the topics discussed. Produced by Public Health England, this resource offers a comprehensive and structured approach to understanding environmental public health issues.Less

Essentials of Toxicology for Health Protection is ideal as both a course resource for students and a reference for field professionals involved in responding to chemical incidents and local environmental concerns. Produced by Health Protection England, it offers a comprehensive and structured approach to dealing with toxicological problems worldwide. It covers both the basics of toxicology and its application to issues of topical concern such as contaminated land, food additives, and water and air pollution. Each chapter is composed by an expert in the field, making this an essential resource for all professionals in environmental public health, including: health protection consultants, specialists and trainees; public health practitioners; environmental health practitioners; environmental scientists; and staff of the emergency services, the water and waste industries, and other industrial and regulatory bodies.Less

The emergence of the discipline of global mental health as one of the most dynamic fields of global health underscores the need for this resource, which covers two major aspects of the field: its scientific foundations and its practice. It opens with an original account charting the history of the field from antiquity to its most recent developments. The language and content is geared towards a wide audience of practitioners and students of global mental health, including those who do not have any previous training in a clinical mental health specialty. Edited by four of the field's most widely acknowledged champions, this resource features 20 chapters authored by over 30 global leaders of the field from diverse institutions and countries, is aimed to be the definitive text of this dynamic new discipline.Less

Health Measurement Scales is the ultimate online guide to developing and validating measurement scales that are to be used in the health sciences. It covers how the individual items are developed; various biases that can affect responses (e.g. social desirability, yea-saying, framing); various response options; how to select the best items in the set; how to combine them into a scale; and finally how to determine the reliability and validity of the scale. It concludes with a discussion of ethical issues that may be encountered, and guidelines for reporting the results of the scale development process. Appendices include a comprehensive guide to finding existing scales, and a brief introduction to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.Less

The majority of errors, litigation, and complaints in the health service are due to 'human factors', yet the term is still not widely understood and is sometimes used interchangeably to refer to team training or communication skills. Although it includes these, the definition of 'human factor' goes beyond to look at systems, environmental influences, and interactions with equipment, in addition to self-awareness and human interaction. All of these aspects are captured in Human Factors in Healthcare and are built into a new framework: the SHEEP model, which breaks down into five key areas: Systems, Human Interaction, Environment, Equipment, and Personal, providing a structured way to focus on adopting 'safety-positive' behaviours. Through the use of relevant real world healthcare examples and exercises, this resource encourages interaction and thinking, as well as illustrating how mistakes can be avoided. It also sets out ways on how to improve the experience of patients and staff across healthcare, in particular focusing on how to improve patient safety. Less

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a policy-support instrument and approach that seeks to assess the health impacts of projects, programmes and policies on population health. The ultimate goal of HIA is to systematically predict health impacts and subsequently inform the intersectoral decision- and policy-making processes of these impacts. This resource examines how the process of integrating HIA with policy can take place. Introductory chapters outline the HIA process and provide a conceptual foundation for the book. Then, drawing from experiences of HIA practice and research globally, country-specific experiences are presented to examine HIA's relationship with the policy process. Throughout, checklists and learning points are provided to assist in the understanding of the concepts and examples discussed.Less

The globalization of trade and increasing international travel and migration poses huge challenges for health practitioners and policy makers who have to meet legal and policy obligations to provide health care of equal quality and effectiveness for all. Migration, Ethnicity, Race, and Health in Multicultural Societies provides an accessible introduction to the complex issues of race, ethnicity and minority populations. It explains the process of migration and the uses and misuses of the key concepts of race and ethnicity, illustrating their strengths and weaknesses in epidemiology, policy making, health service planning, research, health care and health promotion. It includes many examples from around the world to demonstrate the theory in a practical way, and is written in a clear and straightforward style with all terminology explained.Less

This comprehensive resource not only summarises the management of common symptoms and disorders but also outlines the increasing evidence base for the efficacy of these techniques. This new edition has been fully revised to appeal to the whole rehabilitation team. Less

Easy-to-use, concise and practical, and reflecting recent advances, this resource presents the most promising developments in practical public health, as well as maintaining essential summaries of core disciplines. Less

There is growing interest internationally in the contributions which the creative arts can make to wellbeing and health both in healthcare and community settings. This textbook is the first work of its kind tobring together contributions from practitioners and researchers in the creative arts in health field from around the world to provide a comprehensive account of the role the creative arts have in addressing public health needs at individual and community levels across the life-course. These developments are set firmly within a public health framework and argue that the creative arts can help in addressing some of the most pressing health challenges facing individuals and communities today. The creative arts can be seen as positive assets and resources contributing to the cultural vitality and wellbeing of any community, the building of social capital and the promotion of health. Access to opportunities for cultural engagement, creative expression and worthwhile leisure activities, are fundamental human rights to be valued in their own terms but also for the contributions they make to wellbeing and health. This book begins by providing a context in the development of public health as a discipline historically and the current concerns with health inequities and the social determinants of both illness and well-being. The historical context on the role of the arts in society and debates over the social utility of the arts are also explored. The book goes on to consider the place of the arts in different social settings and across the lifespan, and throughout concrete case studies provide insights into ways in which creative artists – in music, drama, the visual arts and dance are helping to address challenges to health and wellbeing in communities throughout the world.Less

The Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health is the ultimate resource on the subject of public health and epidemiology. It has been thoroughly revised and updated, offering a global and comprehensive perspective on wide-ranging public health needs and priorities in modern health care. It is divided into three areas: 'The Scope of Public Health' discusses the development of the discipline, determinants of health and disease, public health policies, and law and ethics; 'The Methods of Public Health' covers the main science behind the discipline – epidemiology; 'The Practice of Public Health' examines specific public health problems and the options for prevention and control. As well as identifying these issues by system or disease, there is also an awareness of the unique needs of particular population groups. This sixth edition also includes new topics, including climate change, genetic testing and epidemiology; new methods for measuring the burden of disease; life course approaches to epidemiology, behavioural economics; and physical activity, health and wellbeing.Less

The Oxford Textbook of Infectious Disease Control discusses the issues of geographical spread of human communicable diseases. Split into six chapters it tackles surveillance, quarantine, vaccination, and forecasting for disease control. A wide selection of representative maps and diagrams are used to illustrate the ideas explored. Less

This online resource brings together an international team of experts to provide an extensive global account of the mortality and morbidity burden caused by violence. It does this by examining the causes of violence, and what can be done to prevent and reduce violence. Divided into six sections, it analyses how a public health approach can help to prevent violence. It tackles interpersonal violence in all its forms. Early chapters describe epidemiology and consequences, followed by chapters that present the current state of the evidence in interventions. Policies for violence reduction are discussed, and finally recommendations are made for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. Less

This resource provides a general introduction to epidemiological techniques for psychiatric research. As demand grows for evidence based practice in psychiatry, there is increasing use of epidemiological methods for studies into causes, prognosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders, although working in the field of mental health throws up its own particular challenges. This resource explains how to adapt the tried and tested methods used in generic epidemiology to the special circumstances of psychiatric epidemiology.Less

The first comprehensive resource for patient safety and quality standards in radiology. Includes section on special topics, including chapters on pregnancy in radiology and pediatric radiology. Applicable to all practice settings. Multiple practical examples of quality and safety strategies throughout the book. Radiology has been transformed by new imaging advances and a greater demand for imaging, along with a much lower tolerance for error as part of the Quality & Safety revolution in healthcare. With a greater emphasis on patient safety and quality in imaging practice, imaging specialists are increasingly charged with ensuring patient safety and demonstrating that everything done for patients in their care meets the highest quality and safety standards. This resource offers practical guidance on understanding, creating, and implementing quality management programs in radiology. Less

This resource discusses medical imaging and the discipline which uses it, as well as how society can make the most responsible use of this powerful new tool, and how imaging and radiologists can reshape medical practice.Less

This resource tackles questions that relate to the way medicine will be practised in the future, and provides some answers. It does not shrink from the uncomfortable challenges that lie ahead, as demand surges and new technologies add to the strain. It lays out ten levers that stand a fighting chance of closing the healthcare equation, of balancing supply and demand.Less