Search results for ""taylor francis""

Published in association with the Annals of Family Medicine, The Wonder and the Mystery is an anthology of intimate personal stories and innovative ideas from the Annals' Reflections section. It includes a wide range of articles, from influential pieces on urgent topical issues to exceptional stories of unique individuals. These articles shed light on small moments and major life transitions. In the process, they help us find meaning in our own physical, emotional, and spiritual journeys. The one-of-a-kind stories and ideas in the book speak to all of us who are interested in health care and health, caring and connection: clinicians, patients, family members, researchers, policy makers, and more. The book reminds us that "the things we cannot measure may be the very things that will sustain us."

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'Twenty-first century medicine is just the current stage of a never-ending journey of tremendous complexity. Those of us who are fortunate enough to practise in this day and age do so in ways that are themselves the results of huge changes over many centuries - advances in areas such as medication and surgical and imaging techniques and developments in our understanding of the human body and its attendant threats through genetics. Add to that list the huge social and societal changes in public health, attitudes to illness and changes in ethical viewpoints, and we find ourselves at the current forefront of medical evolution but nowhere near the end of this particular journey.' From the Foreword by Paul Lazarus This fascinating book brings to life the history of medicine in Britain since 1600. Throughout the historical account the authors cover mainstream clinical issues but also make reference to the importance of literature and art, presenting a wide-ranging view of the past. It also incorporates milestones in other cultures and epochs, where appropriate, for a balanced overview. The concise, self-contained sections are a joy to read and can be easily dipped into. The majority of chapters include suggested questions for students, assisting group discussion. It is ideal for medical and healthcare course organisers, lecturers and tutors who require a rapid resource of information in their subject area - be it cardiovascular disease, emergency medicine or child protection - to provide context, interest and entertainment for their students. It is also highly recommended as the basis for a programme of seminars on the history of medicine.

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This groundbreaking new book brings together policy, evidence, practice, service development and children's narrative to provide a far-reaching overview of this vulnerable and traumatised group. It combines powerfully written, moving scenarios and draws on evidence-based research to fully illustrate concepts and present practical ideas for change to interventions and services resulting in effective, sustainable practice. Theory and practice are interwoven, offering real solutions for anyone working with children. Everyone has a role and many opportunities to make a difference - at home, school and in the community. Any professional working with children will be inspired and educated by this outstanding, passionate text. The messages are universal and prove that approaches can no longer be thought of as mutually exclusive in today's complex life circumstances. 'I have learned over the last 2 to 3 years that no matter how hard life gets, there is always a way, and a very easy way, and that you should always take day by day. There might be a time when your day is bad, coz sometimes it goes wrong, but that will only change if we look for the help/support that is out there! And little steps will amaze you, how helpful they are.' SARAH PAYNE, aged 18 'Many children's stories that we will encounter are not nice, far from it; they have been brought out by abhorrent acts, and the feelings they instil are unpalatable. This is how they are meant to be. What I am seeking is connectedness and understanding, not sympathy or pity. Hearts and minds together can bring change; we desperately need both...Traumatised children's fragility and determination go hand in hand; we inevitably mirror both, as we constantly struggle to move with them from Despair to Hope.' Panos Vostanis, in the Preface

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This third edition focuses on answering questions that are relevant to North American surgeons' everyday practice and in preparation for their professional examinations. It contains both modern American practice style as well as to include the most up-to-date information since the previous edition.

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The MRCPsych CASC examination tests candidates' ability to solve common problems faced by psychiatric trainees at ST4 level. The exam has a high failure rate and covers a wide syllabus, making preparation daunting and topics difficult to prioritise. Fast Revision for the MRCPsych CASC Exam condenses preparation into two dozen easy-to-read generic scenarios likely to appear in the exam. These are divided by subspecialty, allowing candidates to see and grasp what they need to know quickly. It also provides model answers at the level needed for a safe pass, along with discussion points to provide a sound, accessible basis for further learning. This will be essential reading for MRCPsych CASC candidates, but also for overseas psychiatrists trying to develop a rapid understanding of the British system.

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Sexually transmitted infections remain a global health concern with the World Health Organization reporting over 340 million new cases of bacterial and protozoal STI every year, worldwide. They are frequently associated with a significant degree of medical and psychological morbidity. This full-colour pictorial guide is a unique, single volume compilation of common diseases in genito-urinary medicine. It covers a wide range of ailments from sexually transmitted infections to dermatological conditions affecting the genito-urinary system. Each high-quality image is accompanied by a clear, concise description to aid diagnosis. As well as providing a diagnostic tutorial for trainees in genito-urinary medicine, this book is a reference for any healthcare professional encountering these diseases. Candidates for the Diploma of Genito-urianry Medicine and the Knowledge Based Assessment in Genito-Urinary Medicine will find this visual compendium invaluable.

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When a person falls ill, their experience changes - sometimes in a very minor and transient way, sometimes in a decisive and lasting one. 'Diagnosis' is often seen as the process of scientifically and objectively identifying the causes of this subjective experience, but is the process and meaning of 'diagnosis' really as simple as this implies? As this volume of The Medical Humanities Companion argues, diagnoses are an answer to complex human needs that spring from being ill, and are in turn a complex, culturally mediated interaction between individuals, scientific discoveries, social negotiation and historical change. This volume makes visible the complexities and ambiguities involved in giving and receiving diagnoses, and how they shape and are shaped by views on what is real and acceptable, and how people relate to the phenomena of illness.

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Many doctors do not receive training early in their careers on the broad range of non-clinical aspects of their work, and confront day-to-day issues for which initial medical education has failed to prepare them. Experienced doctors and consultants can also experience a similar lack of accessible reference material on these aspects of their role and for the non-clinical training of their juniors. This book and its companion volume The Doctor's Handbook Part 1: managing your role beyond clinical medicine, have been written to address these and other needs. Previously published as The Specialist Registrar and New Consultant Handbook, these completely revised and reconfigured volumes reflect the changing everyday work of specialist trainees, registrars and consultants. Topics covered in Volume 2 include: *

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We have written this book because the story it tells warrants a wide audience. We see the purpose of this book as informing discussion and decision-making around reconfigurations of maternity care, so that planning, communication, management and recruitment can be improved and shared vision articulated and understood.A" Throughout the world, women-centred care is gaining prominence in providing maternity care. Many birth centres open each year to meet this need - but at the same time, many close or are shelved. So why should the turnover in organisations that deliver such a vital service to women be so high, thwarting many midwives from practising as they would wish? This carefully researched and passionate book tells the story of a birth centre that did fail, and the painful but valuable lessons it presents for others. Many of the issues and behaviours illustrated - lack of leadership, support, vision and plain-dealing, and tensions between bureaucracy and women-centred care - will find resonance in maternity services and midwifery experiences in the UK and throughout the world. Tensions and Barriers in Improving Maternity Care is a vital and challenging resource for all midwives, managers and policy makers and shapers with an interest in maternity and women-centred care. "A remarkably detailed analysis of the politics of a birth centre trapped in a medicalised system that threatened and rapidly destroyed it. It is a vivid example of how autonomous midwifery is undermined by an organisational structure in which management focuses exclusively on one model of care." - From the Foreword by Sheila Kitzinger 'I would recommend this powerful book to all supervisors of midwives as it provides profound insights into the impact of loss and grief upon the midwives who are often left feeling isolated and vulnerable when dealing with difficult circumstances.' - Nessa McHugh, lecturer in midwifery at Edinburgh Napier University, and leader of the Preparation and Practice of Supervisors of Midwives programme.

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The Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) of the new Membership of the Royal College of General Practice (nMRCGP) examinations can be a daunting test: candidates face assessment on an unknown situation by a 'patient' and assessor, however, help is at hand. This book has been written by a CSA examiner in concert with GP training programme members to help candidates approach the exam feeling prepared, calm and in control. It includes advice on preparation, consultation skills, how the assessment is marked, and 12 practice CSA cases, along with advice on how candidates can create cases with which to practise and assess each other. Clear, practical, and based on sound knowledge and proven techniques, this book will be essential reading for nMRCGP CSA candidates. 'Rhona is a passionate and compassionate educator with a strong sense of natural justice, and also a long-standing MRCGP examiner. She has developed an approach to understanding and preparing for the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) that is already tried, tested and proven. An approach that will enhance the candidate's ability as a GP at the same time as preparing them for the CSA.' - Simon Gregory in his Foreword

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The death of a child - whether during or following birth, through illness, through accident, or through suicide - is one of the greatest challenges families, carers, friends, and the health and social care professionals who support them can face. This book provides professionals with practical advice, resources for further support and reading, and much-needed reassurance that whatever contact they have with the bereaved, and however inadequate they may feel to the task, they can make a difference. With revised material and an entirely new chapter reflecting recent developments in bereavement theory, the third edition of this classic text offers unique insights for professionals with varying levels of experience. From theory and narrative come practical ideas on what to say, what to do, how to behave, how to stay humble in situations where the only real experts are the bereaved themselves, and how professionals can look after themselves in what can be particularly traumatic and upsetting circumstances.

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In recent decades, global healthcare professionals and organisations have formed a wide, evidence-based consensus that breastfeeding is usually the best option for both mother and baby. However, women and professionals alike often face a sea of shifting attitudes and values, and complex social, cultural, political and economic factors that may influence women's feeding decisions. This book examines the global evidence, and the factors that affect women's decisions around initiating breastfeeding and maintaining it through the first year of their children's lives. It outlines potential areas for development and policy change at practitioner and strategic levels, and shows how health professionals can effectively communicate and provide information to help women make unpressured but informed decisions. Breastfeeding - Contemporary Issues in Practice and Policy is essential reading for healthcare professionals, policy movers and shapers, and all those with an interest in breastfeeding who wish to influence the development of related policies, practices and healthcare services.

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'Becoming a first year doctor is a stressful time...you are suddenly member of a medical team. People often feel out of their comfort zone, and are commonly too embarrassed to ask for help or advice - ' Gastroenterology concerns a large number of patients and is a commonly encountered area of medicine that all doctors are exposed to, even if they are working in a different specialty. It covers disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, gallbladder and liver. This practical, user-firendly guide to gastroenterology for the junior doctor consolidates knowledge on common gastroenterological problems. Its unique approach offers logical explanations of investigations and ways to interpret results; it also outlines complications, prognoses and management and contains vital information on running successful ward rounds. Concise and easy to read, The Junior Doctor's Guide to Gastroenterology helps you to make informed, confident decisions and gives you the assurance to optimise your time in gastroenterology.

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What do young people need to know about their health - and how can you help them learn it? This practical guide will help you to broach health subjects (ranging from the banal to the embarrassing to the deadly serious) with the adolescents you encounter in your professional life. Drawing on research and collaboration with specialists in areas such as dietetics, mental health, drugs and alcohol, fitness, education and careers, along with young people themselves, Hot Topics in Adolescent Health provides a range of support mechanisms for professionals working with young people. Using interactive methods of delivery, this practical guide and complimentary CD provide figures, diagrams and suggested activities to explore each topic within a group setting and point to other resources for further information. The book covers both the basic and more detailed issues beginning with an introduction to adolescence and puberty before exploring key issues such as body image, diet and exercise, mental health, drugs, alcohol, relationships and sex (including contraception, sexual health, pregnancy and abortion) - giving lots of inspiration on how to confidently answer those tricky questions. Sections on consent and confidentiality when working with young people, as well as a vital summary of child protection policy and procedure, will also prove useful. It is highly recommended for healthcare professionals, teachers, therapists, counsellors, community group leaders and all people working with adolescents.

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'Compassion, in its many manifestations, is the key to rediscovering what lies at the heart of nursing practice all over the world. It is absolutely essential that nurses start to revisit compassion as a central focus for nursing practice...' This user-friendly book adopts a patient-centred approach to care. The challenging theories are grounded in practical applications, encouraging readers to recognise opportunities for change in their daily practice. The book focuses on six key concepts central to compassionate care: A*

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This work traces and anticipates past, present and future changes in mental health services to assess the impact both of developments in care, and of the implications of new organisational change. It includes contributions and perspectives of those involved in services at all levels, including service users, to draw upon their experience to give a fuller picture of today and help sketch in tomorrow. It balances academic scrutiny with personal involvement, to reflect both national trends and local initiatives.Overall this work is in two volumes, each of which can stand alone: the companion book Part 1 focuses on the realities of offering and receiving care at a practical and local level; this Part 2 reviews policy and practice from national and international perspectives. Together these books provide essential information and views on mental health services for professionals throughout health and social care, managers, policy planners and policy shapers including those in the third sector and patient groups, academics and the media.

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The structure of the MRCPsych examination has changed significantly. This book is specifically written for the new exam, providing 250 practice best-of-five multiple choice questions (MCQs) and 100 extended matching item (EMI) questions for Paper III. It contains clear, concise answers to questions, along with explanatory notes and further reading for each topic. It gives practical advice on the format and content of the examination and techniques for answering questions. It is comprehensive and authoritative: both authors are members of the Psychiatric Trainees' Committee of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This is an essential revision aid for candidates sitting Paper III of the MRCPsych examination.

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'In the light of impending environmental catastrophe, people all over the world, in all walks of life, are becoming more aware of the pressing need to act globally. The need to base our decisions and actions less on parochial national advantage, sequestered in hate and suspicion of other nation's playing the same game of Russian roulette, have to give way to a new appreciation of the fact that our global village is indeed so very small and perilously frail. We depend upon one another as never before and, unless we insure the health and human rights of all, we shall surely each perish individually...' In "Health, Human Rights and the United Nations", Theodore H MacDonald carefully analyses the origin, development and structure of the United Nations (UN) and its key agencies, and considers its capacity to mediate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He takes a detailed look into human rights abuses in Sudan's Darfur province, Burma, Liberia, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the United Kingdom. By investigating the development of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the pressures being brought to bear upon it, MacDonald exposes contradictions in the aims of both the WHO and the UN. Does the current global political scene and its neoliberal policies nullify the work of both? Is the UN fit for purpose? Can drastic reforms result in equitable solutions? Can a new trans-national body be developed, to arbitrate global trade, health, human rights and fiscal issues? This remarkable book is ideal for anyone interested in international law, human rights, global health, public health and health promotion. Public health and health promotion professionals, including international healthcare organisations, care agencies, and international charities will find the analysis enlightening. It is also of great interest to policy makers and shapers in communities and government, political activists and all those with an interest in equality and globalisation.

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In this unique, highly detailed examination, Gordon C Cook explores disease in the merchant navy through the history of the Seamen's Hospital Society. From its foundation in 1812, until the present day, the Seamen's Hospital Society has been responsible for the physical welfare of merchant seamen and has headed many remarkable advances in medical science. This handsome volume is ideal for all those with an interest in the Seamen's Hospital Society, medical and naval historians, and general readers with an interest in maritime and naval history.

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'The study of disease and its treatment is a life-long intellectual journey which has engaged some of humankind's finest minds and kindest hearts. We are still on that fascinating voyage. Every journey begins with a single step, and that step is the purpose of this book. It is short enough to be read from cover to cover, re-read, studied and learnt. Those who do that should find that they understand much that they encounter in patients, whether in the wards, outpatients or in primary care. [It] should also ease the student clinician's passage to more comprehensive texts, which can be intimidating in their volume and complexity, if there has been no prior introduction.' - Hugh McGavock and Denis Johnston, in the Preface. The study of disease and its treatment is a life-long intellectual journey which has engaged some of humankind's finest minds and kindest hearts. We, the authors, are still on that fascinating voyage. Every journey begins with a single step, and that step is the purpose of this book. It is short enough to be read from cover to cover, re-read, studied and learnt...This concise and practical introduction to the vast and complex subject of medical treatment is jargon-free and easy to read. It aids in the understanding of everyday situations on the wards, in out-patient clinics and in the primary care setting. The handy format is ideal as a ready reference along with its companion volume "How Drugs Work, Second Edition", by Hugh McGavock. It is highly recommended as an undergraduate textbook for students of nursing and medicine, especially those embarking on clinical training, and is also useful for Nurse Practitioners. Primary care nurses with diagnosis and treatment responsibilities will find the guidance invaluable.

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Clive Handler and Gerry Coghlan have written a book that will become essential reading for the primary care physician managing cardiac problems in the new age of medical practice. In it they give clear, concise and readable information on diagnosis, management and treatment priorities in this most important field of medicine. The book uses current evidence and follows current guidelines to direct the clinician in treating conditions seen every day in general practice. It builds confidence in understanding the role and responsibility in commissioning cardiology specialist care.The narrative is peppered with real patient problems and sections giving advice to patients in layman's language. This book will not only promote the primary care physician's ability to manage problems in-house but also guide the commissioning clinician on putting in place appropriate and efficient specialist services. An excellent text that will be a valuable addition to the libraries of all general practices. Buy more than one copy - clinicians from practice nurses, students and registrars to the most senior doctors will all find it essential reading.

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This book includes a foreword by Jane Dacre, Academic Vice President, Royal College of Physicians, Professor of Medical Education, CHIME, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist, The Whittington Hospital, London. This book prepares you for the often daunting life after medical school, detailing everything you need to know about preparing, applying and surviving. It's the most up-to-date guide available filling you in on recent important changes to the application system. This practical guide is full of valuable tips, tables, worked examples, frequently asked questions, further resources and useful addresses. Highly recommended for final year medical students and other clinical medical students preparing for their final year, this book is also invaluable for junior doctors progressing through the Foundation Programme and all those with teaching and supervisory responsibilities in medical schools and hospitals. 'An invaluable resource for our new generation of doctors. It takes readers through the process from application, to F2 and beyond. It offers useful advice in a useable and readable format. It is written by a group of current and past medical students who have lived through, and continue to live through, the insecurities of the changing medical career structures. Its style is informal, engaging and easy to absorb, so it should be a good distraction for those currently in the run-up to their finals exams. Good luck to all of you, and don't forget, Medicine is a wonderful career.' - Jane Dacre, in the Foreword.

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Practical budget management is at the core of this book. As well as giving an insight into the way budgets behave in certain circumstances and what can be done about it, the book also deals with practical steps the budget and resource manager can take to eliminate waste and reduce opportunities for fraud and collusion. Better budget management means that the organisation can concentrate greater resources on matters that will significantly enhance patient and client care. The book identifies the day-to-day issues that affect managers in health and social services, and provides advice and a structured approach that facilitate both comprehension of the problem areas and possible solutions. It successfully reduces complex budget issues into manageable chunks, with case studies, key points, tips, and worked examples to aid understanding. It offers practical assistance to managers, tutors, students, board members and other health and social care professionals. The book is third in a trilogy which provides practical solutions to the complex problems of resource, financial and budget management in health and social care. "Managing in Health and Social Care" provides essential checklists for frontline staff is about process quality in financial and business management. It concentrates on doing the right thing, first time, every time. "Resource Management in Health and Social Care": essential checklists is about matching available resources to the environment. It deals with workplace and environmental problems associated with resource scarcity. 'Although there may be constant change to organisation and structures, great improvements in care, treatment, and technology and ever more sophisticated ways of funding health and social care, the actual act of spending money will always be the responsibility of budget managers who are in the front line. This book identifies the day-to-day issues that affect managers in health and social services and provides advice and a structured approach that facilitate both comprehension of the problem areas and possible solutions.' - William Bryans, in the Introduction.

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Inherited Metabolic Diseases are common enough for health, social service and education professionals to encounter them periodically, but rare enough for them to be poorly understood. They severely affect up to 1 in 10,000 people, and lead to a wide range of special needs in care and education. This guide provides specialist information on metabolic diseases for the non-specialist. In a concise, accessible and family-friendly format, each entry lists the names by which a condition is known, and explains the genetic causes of the disease, the physical effects, the patient's symptoms, and available treatments. Key diseases from all ten major groups of metabolic disorders are described, and all entries have been reviewed by Specialist Advisers. The work has been coordinated by the charity Climb, Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases. This uniquely comprehensive source of information is a vital reference for hospital doctors including paediatricians, general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals, social service and education staff and managers, and the families and carers of children with the conditions.

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This book is based on the findings of a nationwide study, the aim of which was to analyse general practitioners' performance as gatekeepers of the Dutch healthcare system. The study was undertaken along six themes: the health of the population; inequalities in health; utilisation of care; quality of care; communication; organisation and workload. Morbidity, Performance and Quality in Primary Care involves 400,000 patients, 1.5 million recorded GP-patient contacts and 2.1 million drug prescriptions. This survey appears at a timely moment. It coincides with the recent interest in primary care arising not only from the growing importance of cost containment in healthcare, but also from the now firmly established association between the life expectancy of a population and the existence of a strong primary care sector. The international interest in the Dutch situation is reflected in several chapters, where experts from all over the world put Dutch general practice into an international perspective.

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This work includes foreword by Ian Botham, OBE, former England Cricket Captain and father of a daughter with Type 1 Diabetes. This groundbreaking book reveals how science and medicine have traditionally tried to make diabetes simple and orderly, despite its obvious messiness and complexity. The result has left patients, carers and health professionals confused and frustrated. Using complexity science, "Riding the Diabetes Rollercoaster" provides a radical new approach to understanding and managing diabetes that embraces its uncertainties and challenges. From a complexity perspective, the diabetes rollercoaster is normal and is a mirror of life itself. Learning to embrace and use the tools of complexity can completely alter your approach to diabetes. "Despite huge amounts of research, funding and effort, diabetes - like many other chronic illnesses - refuses to go away or even to get any easier to deal with. Health professionals have grown increasingly frustrated with their inability to develop radical improvements; patients and carers struggle to comply with complicated self management regimes. We believe that Complexity offers a way forward. Learning to balance rather than control diabetes is the ultimate goal of diabetes management." - Helen Cooper and Robert Geyer, in the Preface.

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Current health policy is required to respond to a constantly changing social and political environment characterised, particularly in Europe, by ageing populations, increased migration, and growing inequalities in health and services. With health systems under increasing strain there is a sense that we need to seek new means of determining health policy. Much political debate focuses on managerial issues such as the levels of health funding and the setting and missing of targets. Meanwhile our moral imperatives, our values and principles, go relatively unexamined. What are these values? Can we agree their validity and salience? How do we manage the paradox of competing goods? Can we find new ways of talking about, and resolving, our conflicting values and competing priorities in order to create sound, appropriate, and just health policies for the 21st Century? Written by leading health policy makers and academics from many countries, "Constructive Conversations about Health" examines in depth the underlying values and principles of health policy, and posits a more enlightened public and political discourse. The book will be invaluable for those involved in health policy making and governance, politicians, healthcare managers, researchers, ethicists, health and social affairs media, health rights and patient participation groups. 'The literature on health policy is vast. On offer are models of health services, economic theory, management theory, disquisitions on ethical principles, social analyses, literally thousands of publications. In a globalised and electronically networked world, this literature has already generated its own particular language, a policy jargon replete with terms that look deceptively familiar, terms that will be much in evidence in what now follows, terms whose meanings require our closest attention.' - Marshall Marinker.

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This work includes a Foreword by Jonathan Silverman, Associate Clinical Dean and Director of Communication Studies, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge. Emphasis is placed on shared decision making, appraisal, and dealing with difficult situations as well as the more common topics such as taking a history and breaking bad news. Healthcare educators with an interest in communication skills training and personal and professional development will find this guide invaluable, as will undergraduate and postgraduate teachers in university and workplace settings. "As its central component, this manual of experiential learning provides a bank of ready-made simulated patient scenarios that will prove invaluable to anybody setting up a programme from scratch - here is a collection of scenarios with information for facilitators, participants and simulated patients and hints on how to run sessions on specific topics and it is clearly not just for beginners - those already running established programs will also find it so useful to be able to turn to a resource of simulated patient scenarios when planning a new session." "Now educators can turn to a practical source of expert guidance in setting up sessions utilising simulated patients. Experiential work with simulated patients is the most effective way of improving learners' communication skills. Practical, thoughtful and well considered help such as this new book is worth its weight in gold and will help so many educators as they strive to introduce this approach to learning into medical curricula and assessments." - Jonathan Silverman, in the Foreword.

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This work includes a Foreword by Mayur Lakhani, Chairman of Council, Royal College of General Practitioners. General practitioners, as a widely dispersed group, are particularly reliant on e-learning. This book provides an overview of the topic and examines the past, present and future challenges, opportunities and benefits. With chapters devoted to creating a website, running short courses and standards and accreditation, this guide explores both vocational training and continuing professional development. It presents an evidence-based, practical approach for healthcare educators and practitioners with teaching responsibilities, course organisers and healthcare professionals with an interest in e-learning. "Excellent. Leading edge. As a practising GP I know just how hard it can be to keep up to date in a generalist discipline and showing progress. Having access to information is the straightforward bit - processing it and embedding it into clinical practice is the much bigger challenge as this book rightly points out. As a user of e-learning, I know how useful this technique can be if undertaken properly and to a defined standard. I have no doubt that this book will be a valuable contribution, creating an innovative learning culture and society in healthcare." - Mayur Lakhani, in his Foreword.

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"Rationing Medical Care on the Basis of Age" explores this highly topical issue and presents a critical argument on the nature of the possible crisis. Its in-depth philosophical analysis of the main ethical positions adopts an interdisciplinary and international approach. This book is important reading for healthcare policy makers and shapers and healthcare managers. Academics in ethics, philosophy, economics, and all healthcare disciplines will find it useful, as will public health specialists, health economists, and social scientists with an interest in health and medicine.

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Christianity has been both the cause of oppression among Black communities and a source of liberation. Black Christianity has sought solace in the redemptive figure of Christ in its struggle for human dignity and freedom. 'Working Against the Grain' addresses the displacement of Black theology in Diasporan African churches by charismatic and conservative neo-Pentecostalism. The essays present a radical Black theology that empowers disenfranchised Black people whilst challenging White power to see and act differently. 'Working Against the Grain' is an essential text for all those interested in the pursuit of racial justice and other forms of anti-oppressive practice, both inside the church and beyond it.

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The act of converting people to certain beliefs or values is highly controversial in today's postcolonial, multicultural world. Proselytization has been viewed by some as an aggressive act of political domination. 'Proselytization Revisited' offers a comprehensive overview of the many arguments for and against proselytization in different regions and contexts. Proselytization is examined in the context of rights talk, globalisation and culture wars. The volume brings together essays demonstrating the global significance of proselytization, ranging from Christians in India to Turkish Islamic Movements and the Wiccan use of modern media technologies. The cross-cultural and multidisciplinary nature of this collection of essays provides a fresh perspective and the book will be of value to readers interested in the dynamic interaction of beliefs, ideas and cultures.

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Humans throughout history have sought ways of understanding their place within the world. Religion, science and myth have been at the forefront of this quest for meaning. A Chaos of Delight examines how various cultures – from the early Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks to contemporary Western society – have looked at the same phenomena and devised totally different world views. The rise of modern science is examined, alongside questions of evolution and the origins of life. This comprehensive volume is an essential read for students and scholars interested in the history of ideas and the role of religion, science and myth in the development of Western thought.

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'The Apostle Paul and His Letters' presents a detailed examination of the apostle's seminal writings in the Book of Acts. Paul was writing primarily to converts who had joined church communities only recently, mostly forsaking either Judaism or paganism. Paul's emphases on faithfulness toward God, the faithfulness of Jesus, and his moral teachings are always primary themes. The book discusses a range of topics: the circumstances that led Paul to write each letter; Paul's emphasis on the morality of the believers to whom he was writing; the influence of Old Testament, Qumran, and pagan writings on Paul's own; the intellectual and cultural context of the time; and how careful attention to Paul's language can shed light on his meaning. This book is written for a wide range of interested readers, including students, pastors, church workers and others interested in learning about Paul as a person and his work.

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In Money: Ethnographic Encounters, anthropologists tell stories of their experiences with money in the field. Through vivid fieldwork accounts, they explore the ways money has influenced their perceptions and understandings of culture. These accounts raise critical questions. How do anthropologists come to know another culture through ordinary yet unexpected experiences with money? How is anthropological knowledge produced through these interactions?Money: Ethnographic Encounters offers students, teachers and researchers the opportunity to consider the work of anthropology through vigorous narrative. It also includes a Guide to Further Reading for students. With stories of fieldwork in such varied sites as Vietnam, Ghana, China, and Malawi, Money: Ethnographic Encounters is ideal for all students of anthropology.

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Philosophy in the middle of the 20th Century, between 1920 and 1968, responded to the cataclysmic events of the time. Thinkers on the Right turned to authoritarian forms of nationalism in search of stable forms of collective identity, will, and purpose. Thinkers on the Left promoted egalitarian forms of humanism under the banner of international communism. Others saw these opposed tendencies as converging in the extinction of the individual and sought to retrieve the ideals of the Enlightenment in ways that critically acknowledged the contradictions of a liberal democracy racked by class, cultural, and racial conflict. Key figures and movements discussed in this volume include Schmitt, Adorno and the Frankfurt School, Arendt, Benjamin, Bataille, French Marxism, Black Existentialism, Saussure and Structuralism, Levi Strauss, Lacan and Late Pragmatism. These individuals and schools of thought responded to this 'modernity crisis' in different ways, but largely focused on what they perceived to be liberal democracy's betrayal of its own rationalist ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity.

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One of the major problems facing practitioners and scientists working with water management is how to integrate knowledge and experiences from scientific, policy and stakeholder perspectives. In this book this science-policy-stakeholder interface (SPSI) is examined both analytically and through the description of practical experiences from river basins in Europe, India and South-East Asia. These include the Tungabhadra (India), Sesan (Vietnam/Cambodia), Tagus (Spain/Portugal) and Glomma (Norway), which particularly highlight issues associated with pollution, severely altered river flows and transboundary conflicts. Following two chapters which lay the framework for the book the authors describe how SPSI was managed in the case study basins and how stakeholder participation and scenarios were used to integrate different perspectives, and to facilitate the communication of different forms of knowledge. Four important aspects of water management and SPSI are then discussed; these are water pollution, land and water interaction, environmental flow and transboundary water regimes. Short descriptions of the case study rivers are provided together with analyses of how SPSI was managed in water management in these basins and policy recommendations for the basins. The book concludes by providing a series of recommendations for improving the science-policy-stakeholder interface in water management. It represents a major step forward in our understanding of how to implement integrated water resources management.

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Current urban planning systems are not equipped to deal with the major urban challenges of the twenty-first century, including effects of climate change, resource depletion and economic instability, plus continued rapid urbanization with its negative consequences such as poverty, slums and urban informality. These planning systems have also, to a large extent, failed to meaningfully involve and accommodate the ways of life of communities and other stakeholders in the planning of urban areas, thus contributing to the problems of spatial marginalization and exclusion. It is clear that urban planning needs to be reconsidered and revitalized for a sustainable urban future. Planning Sustainable Cities reviews the major challenges currently facing cities and towns all over the world, the emergence and spread of modern urban planning and the effectiveness of current approaches. More importantly, it identifies innovative urban planning approaches and practices that are more responsive to current and future challenges of urbanization. The Global Report on Human Settlements is the most authoritative and up-to-date global assessment of human settlements conditions and trends. It is an essential reference for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organizations all over the world. Preceding issues of the report have addressed such topics as Cities in a Globalizing World, The Challenge of Slums, Financing Urban Shelter and Enhancing Urban Safety and Security.

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Because of the major opportunities and risks associated with it, and the complexity of the subject, bioenergy policy has in a short time become a challenging political task for regulators and planners – a task that can only be accomplished through worldwide cooperation and the creation of an international framework. This book's central message is that the sustainable potential of bioenergy, which can be tapped all over the world, should be utilized – provided that threats to sustainability are avoided. In particular, the use of bioenergy must not endanger food security or the goals of nature conservation and climate change mitigation.

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This book provides geographic perspectives and approaches for use in assessing the distribution of environmental health hazards and disease outcomes among disadvantaged population groups. Estimates suggest that about forty per cent of the global burden of disease is attributable to exposures to biological and chemical pathogens in the physical environment. And with today's rapid rate of globalization, and these hazardous health effects are likely to increase, with low income and underrepresented communities facing even greater risks. In many places around the world, marginalized communities unwillingly serve as hosts of noxious facilities such as chemical industrial plants, extractive facilities (oil and mining) and other destructive land use activities. Others are being used as illegal dumping grounds for hazardous materials and electronic wastes resulting in air, soil and groundwater contamination. The book informs readers about the geography and emergent health risks that accompany the location of these hazards, with emphasis on vulnerable population groups. The approach is applications-oriented, illustrating the use of health data and geographic approaches to uncover the root causes, contextual factors and processes that produce contaminated environments. Case studies are drawn from the author's research in the United States and Africa, along with a literature review of related studies completed in Europe, Asia and South America. This comparative approach allows readers to better understand the manifestation of environmental hazards and inequities at different spatial scales with localized disparities evident in both developed and developing countries.

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Debate about how best to ensure the preservation of agricultural biodiversity is caught in a counter-productive polemic between proponents and critics of market-based instruments and agricultural modernisation. This book argues that neither position does justice to the range of strategies that farmers use to manage agrobiodiversity and other livelihood assets as they adapt to changing social, economic, and environmental circumstances. Chapters explore relationships between the exploitation and conservation of agricultural biodiversity and the livelihoods of agricultural communities, and evaluate the capacity of national and multilateral institutions and policy settings to support the protection and capture by communities of agrobiodiversity values. The place of ecosystem services in valuing biodiversity in the marketplace is emphasized. A number of authors assess the potential for market-based instruments and initiatives to encourage the protection of biodiversity, while others compare agrobiodiversity/community relationships, and the effectiveness of instruments designed to enhance these, across international boundaries. The book takes a comparative approach, drawing on empirical case studies from across the developed and developing worlds. In doing so, the book does not simply point to similarities and differences in the experience of rural communities. It also shows how global trade and multilateral institutions bring these otherwise disparate communities together in networks that exploit and/or preserve agrobiodiversity and other resources.

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The concept of cities as potential photovoltaic power plants is rapidly gaining prominence, but until now there has been no large scale study of the impacts of such development on urban fabric and infrastructure, or on inhabitants. This book, based on wide-ranging studies supported by the European Commission and International Energy Agency, is the first to properly address these issues. It sets out by looking at the implications on planning policy of PV in the urban environment, and giving an overview of the implementation and occupation processes. It then moves on to present detailed case studies from a range of European cites, examining the role of large scale PV installations in urban renewal and new urban area development stretching back over 15 years. It ends with a review of technical guidelines for PV, and regulation/legalities surrounding planning, building and grid connection. The book will form an essential resource for planners and developers who are considering including large scale PV in their plans and who want to understand what has (or hasn't) worked, and why. Published with Intelligent Energy

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Cities are perhaps one of humanity's most complex creations, never finished, never definitive. They are like a journey that never ends. Their evolution is determined by their ascent into greatness or their descent into decline. They are the past, the present and the future. Cities contain both order and chaos. In them reside beauty and ugliness, virtue and vice. They can bring out the best or the worst in humankind. They are the physical manifestation of history and culture and incubators of innovation, industry, technology, entrepreneurship and creativity. Cities are the materialization of humanity's noblest ideas, ambitions and aspirations but when not planned or governed properly, can be the repository of society's ills. Cities drive national economies by creating wealth, enhancing social development and providing employment but they can also be the breeding grounds for poverty, exclusion and environmental degradation. The 21st Century is the Century of the City. Half of humanity now lives in cities, and within the next two decades, 60 per cent of the world's people will reside in urban areas. How can city planners and policymakers harmonize the various interests, diversity and inherent contradictions within cities? What ingredients are needed to create harmony between the physical, social, environmental and cultural aspects of a city and the human beings that inhabit it? This report adopts the concept of Harmonious Cities as a theoretical framework in order to understand today's urban world, and also as an operational tool to confront the most important challenges facing urban areas and their development processes. It recognizes that tolerance, diversity, social justice and good governance, all of which are inter-related, are as important to sustainable urban development as physical planning. It addresses national concerns by searching for solutions at the city level. For that purpose, it focuses on three key areas: spatial or regional harmony, which examines the main drivers of urban growth in the developing world and explores the spatial nuances of economic and social policies; social harmony, which presents and analyzes new data on urban inequalities worldwide and describes the types of shelter deprivations experienced by slum dwellers in developing world regions; and environmental harmony, which examines the role of cities in the climate change debate, and the impact of global warming on the most vulnerable cities. The report also assesses the various intangible assets within cities that contribute to harmony, such as cultural heritage, sense of place and memory and the complex set of social and symbolic relationships that give cities meaning. It argues that these intangible assets represent the soul of the city and are as important for harmonious urban development as tangible assets. Harmony within cities, argues the report, is both a journey and a destination. Published with UN-HABITAT

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'This book aims to inspire the conservation community not to regard poverty reduction as someone else's job but to take responsibility for it as part of ecosystem restoration. Though no solutions are perfect,the text and examples given offer encouraging and useful guidance.' Gill Shepherd, poverty and landscapes thematic leader, IUCN Forest Conservation Programme. 'This book could be the catalyst for a real paradigm shift - not just in capital cities and international conference centres, but also on the ground in locations where poor people are struggling to make a living.' Policy Matters (praise for the first edition). High levels of rural poverty in many of the world's ecosystems make it an ethical and practical imperative to find more equitable and realistic ways of achieving conservation. Livelihoods of the rural poor and options for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity are so intimately entwined that they are better addressed through an integrated approach, irrespective of whether the primary motivation is one of development or one of conservation. This highly accessible book, a revised edition of the 2005 book Poverty and Conservation: Landscapes, People and Power, offers a grand overview of the issues and a conceptual framework for addressing poverty reduction in the context of conservation, and conservation in the context of poverty reduction. It will appeal to professionals working in the field as well as to students across the fields of conservation, development and sustainability. It looks at the rationale for addressing the links between conservation and poverty reduction, arguing that such a focus is both ethically essential and a source of opportunities. It alsoreviews experiences in dealing with people and conservation and identifies some key lessons and concepts. The book presents cases studies illustrating various approaches and a discussion of some of the issues that appear when implementing combined conservation and poverty reduction. The book emphasizes the importance of multiple spatial scales and negotiating trade-offs between scales. It also tackles the complex issue of institutional landscapes and the way in which changes at various institutional levels can lead to different and often more positive outcomes. The Final part summarizes some of the main features of the authors' integrated approach and identifies some of the challenges involved in efforts to combine conservation and poverty reduction. Published with IUCN - The World Conservation Union.

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With ever-advancing scientific understanding and technological capabilities, humanity stands on the brink of the potential next stage of evolution: evolution engineered by us. Nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science offer the possibility to enhance human performance, lengthen life-span and reshape our inherited physical, cognitive and emotional identities. But with this promise come huge risks, complex choices and fundamental ethical questions: about evolution; about what it is to be human; and about control over, and the distribution of benefits from, new technology. Written by a range of experts in science, technology, bioethics and social science, Unnatural Selection examines the range of technological innovations offering lives that purport to be longer, stronger, smarter and happier, and asks whether their introduction is likely to lead to more fulfilled individuals and a fairer world. The breadth of approaches and perspectives make important reading for anyone who cares about the implications of humanity engineering its own evolution.

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Janis Birkeland presents the innovative new paradigm of 'Positive Development' in which the built environment provides greater life quality, health, amenity and safety for all without sacrificing resources or money. With a different form of design, development itself can become a 'sustainability solution'. A cornerstone of this new paradigm is the eco-retrofitting of the vast urban fabric we already inhabit. The author presents a revolutionary new tool called SmartMode to achieve this end. This book challenges everyone working in or studying the areas of sustainable development, planning, architecture or the built environment to rethink their current ideas and practices.

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With the ever-increasing impacts of climate change, it is now clear that global society will have to restructure its energy systems in order to decrease carbon emissions. The scenarios under which this transition to low-carbon societies (LCS) could occur would have complex economic, technological, behavioural and policy implications. This volume, a supplement to the Climate Policy journal, considers these implications by examining different low-carbon scenarios for different countries, modelled at different scales and typologies. Two overview chapters, co-written by international experts, set the context of scenario development and quantification of LCS, and summarize the findings on the economic implications, societal responses, technological developments and required policy measures to enable LCS across a range of countries. Further chapters detail the modelling of various scenarios and outline the model methodology, detail the economic and technological consequences of transitions to LCS, and comment on the strengths and weaknesses of specific policies.

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The new edition of this annual publication (previously published solely by IFOAM and FiBL) documents recent developments in global organic agriculture. It includes contributions from representatives of the organic sector from throughout the world and provides comprehensive organic farming statistics that cover surface area under organic management, numbers of farms and specific information about commodities and land use in organic systems. The book also contains information on the global market of the burgeoning organic sector, the latest developments in organic certification, standards and regulations, and insights into current status and emerging trends for organic agriculture by continent from the worlds foremost experts. For this edition, all statistical data and regional review chapters have been thoroughly updated. Completely new chapters on organic agriculture in the Pacific, on the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture and on organic aquaculture have been added. Published with IFOAM and FiBL

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