Search results for ""taylor francis""

A bestseller on Amazon.com within months of its first release, Alan AtKisson's debut book quickly became a modern classic of sustainability literature. Global companies, grassroots groups, university courses, government agencies, and even the US Army ordered it by the box. Now fully revised and updated, Believing Cassandra: How to be an Optimist in a Pessimist's World is even more relevant, fresh, and motivating than when it first appeared in 1999. In a style that's refreshingly candid and vivid, with unforgettable personal anecdotes, AtKisson provides us with a bridge over the sea of despair, and shows us how to catch the wave to an enticing, sustainable future. He empowers the reader to join the pioneers who created the ideas, techniques and practices of sustainable living - the people who prove Cassandra's warnings wrong, by believing in them, and taking strategic action.

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The dry forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continent's population. This unique book brings together scientific knowledge on this topic from East, West, and Southern Africa and describes the relationships between forests, woodlands, people and their livelihoods. Dry forest is defined as vegetation dominated by woody plants, primarily trees, the canopy of which covers more than 10 per cent of the ground surface, occurring in climates with a dry season of three months or more. This broad definition - wider than those used by many authors - incorporates vegetation types commonly termed woodland, shrubland, thicket, savanna, wooded grassland, as well as dry forest in its strict sense. The book provides a comparative analysis of management experiences from the different geographic regions, emphasizing the need to balance the utilization of dry forests and woodland products between current and future human needs. Further, the book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the management of African dry forests and woodlands for the benefit of all, but more importantly, the communities that live off these vegetation formations. Thus, the book lays a foundation for improving the management of dry forests and woodlands for the wide range of products and services they provide.

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Biofortification – the enrichment of staple food crops with essential micronutrients – has been heralded as a uniquely sustainable solution to the problem of micronutrient deficiency or 'hidden hunger'. Considerable attention and resources are being directed towards the biofortification of rice – the world's most important food crop. Through an in-depth analysis of international rice biofortification efforts across the US, Philippines and China, this book provides an important critique of such goal-oriented, top-down approaches. These approaches, the author argues, exemplify a model of global, 'public goods' science that is emerging within complex, international research networks. It provides vital lessons for those researching and making decisions about science and research policy, showing that if this model becomes entrenched, it is likely to channel resources towards the search for 'silver bullet' solutions at the expense of more incremental approaches that respond to locality, diversity and the complex and uncertain interactions between people and their environments. The author proposes a series of key changes to institutions and practices that might allow more context-responsive alternatives to emerge. These issues are particularly important now as increasing concerns over food security are leading donors and policy makers to commit to ambitious visions of 'impact at scale' – visions which may never become a reality and may preclude more effective pathways from being pursued. Published in association with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

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This SIOP Organizational Frontiers volume will be one of the first to show how the field of Industrial Organizational psychology can help address societal concerns, and help focus research on the greater good of society. Contributions from worldwide experts showcase the power the IO community has to foster, promote and encourage pro social efforts. Also included will be commentary from an eminent group of IO psychologists who give invaluable insights into the history and the future of IO psychology . By presenting the prosocial contributions, from personal satisfaction and career commitment to organizational effectiveness to societal development, the imperative and easibility of using I-O psychology for the greater good becomes increasingly compelling.

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This volume examines the ramifications of individual differences in therapy outcomes for a wide variety of communication disorders. In an era where evidence-based practice is the clinical profession's watchword, each chapter attacks this highly relevant issue from a somewhat different perspective. In some areas of communication disorders, considering the variance brought by the client into the therapeutic 'mix' has a healthy history, whereas in others the notion of how individual client profiles mesh with therapy outcomes has rarely been considered.Through the use of research results, case study descriptions and speculation, the contributors have creatively woven what we know and what we have yet to substantiate into an interesting collection of summaries useful for therapy programming and designing clinical research.

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This volume covers several perspectives on autism which bring together the most recent scientific views of the nature of this disorder. A number of themes organize major developments and emerging areas in autism: Cognitive and neural systems development: how autism arises in the behavior and thought of very young children. Discovering brain mechanisms underlying social and cognitive deficits in autism: how we can explain "social awkwardness" and poor language comprehension in terms of malfunctions of brain mechanisms, revealed by fMRI studies of people with autism. Integrating information about genes, brain, and biological mechanisms with behavioral evidence. Linking the science of autism with lives lived: how the new information about autism impacts people with autism and real-world considerations.

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In the late-1980s, visual cognition was a small subfield of cognitive psychology, and the standard texts mainly discussed just iconic memory in their sections on visual cognition. In the subsequent two decades, and especially very recently, many remarkable new aspects of the processing of brief visual stimuli have been discovered -- change blindness, repetition blindness, the attentional blink, newly-discovered properties of visual short-term memory and of the face recognition system, the influence of reentrant processing on visual perception, and the surprisingly intimate relationships between eyeblinks and visual cognition. This volume provides up-to-date tutorial reviews of these many new developments in the study of visual cognition written by the leaders in the discipline, providing an incisive and comprehensive survey of research in this dynamic field.

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The cognitive neuroscience of long-term memory is ingrained with the assumptions that a particular task measures a single cognitive process and that each cognitive process is mediated by a single brain region. However, these assumptions are simplistic and currently hindering progress toward understanding the true mechanisms of memory. This special issue of Cognitive Neuroscience presents five empirical papers and two theoretical discussion papers with peer commentaries on the spatial and/or temporal mechanisms of memory. These papers embrace more complex cognitive and neural processes, and thus will provide a framework for future studies to investigate the true mechanisms of memory.

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What we see and understand about the visual world is tightly tied to where we direct our eyes. High-resolution visual information is acquired from only a very limited region of the scene surrounding the fixation point, with the quality of visual input falling off precipitously from central vision into a low-resolution visual surround. This special issue of Visual Cognition brings together cutting-edge research from eight research groups around the world whose work is focused on these important topics. The goal of this special issue is to facilitate a constructive convergence of behavioral data and computational modeling to explore the fundamental nature of attention control, and particularly eye movement control, in viewing complex visual input.

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Language production involves the translation of thought into speech, as instantiated by a whole range of mental operations involved in conceptualization, formulation and articulation. This special issue on language production offers a fine sample of the latest research into the various processes involved in speaking. Each contribution addresses different aspects of language production processes, from phonetic and phonological activation, the involvement of syllables in language production, lexical activation and selection, to the role of gestures in conceptualization. This collection of empirical findings and their theoretical embedding is an essential read for those working in the field of language production, in neighbouring areas of psycholinguistics and in linguistics.

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The first edition of the Textbook of Clinical Neuropsychology set a new standard in the field in its scope, breadth, and scholarship. The second edition comprises authoritative chapters that will both enlighten and challenge readers from across allied fields of neuroscience, whether novice, mid-level, or senior-level professionals. It will familiarize the young trainee through to the accomplished professional with fundamentals of the science of neuropsychology and its vast body of research, considering the field’s historical underpinnings, its evolving practice and research methods, the application of science to informed practice, and recent developments and relevant cutting edge work. Its precise commentary recognizes obstacles that remain in our clinical and research endeavors and emphasizes the prolific innovations in interventional techniques that serve the field’s ultimate aim: to better understand brain-behavior relationships and facilitate adaptive functional competence in patients.The second edition contains 50 new and completely revised chapters written by some of the profession's most recognized and prominent scholar-clinicians, broadening the scope of coverage of the ever expanding field of neuropsychology and its relationship to related neuroscience and psychological practice domains. It is a natural evolution of what has become a comprehensive reference textbook for neuropsychology practitioners.

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In the second edition of his unique study of peer relationships in childhood, Dr Barry Schneider re-examines this fundamental aspect of childhood. Taking the work of Jacob Moreno as its starting point, the book provides an up-to-date and accessible understanding of how children develop social competence in different environments, from school to cyberspace. It is informed by a cross-cultural perspective that examines how peer relationships vary in different cultures, as well as among children who have migrated to a new culture, and provides increased coverage of how bullying is perceived and managed within peer groups. The book is informed, too, by new research techniques, both qualitative and quantitative, which mean we know far more about how children relate to each other than ever before. Childhood Friendships and Peer Relations is a fascinating and very timely overview of what we know about making friends and enemies in childhood, showing how these relationships can have lasting effects. It will be essential reading to all students of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology, as well as anyone training towards a career working with children and young people.

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Smell and taste are our most misunderstood senses. Given a choice between losing our sense of smell and taste, or our senses of sight and hearing, most people nominate the former, rather than the latter. Yet our sense of smell and taste has the power to stir up memories, alter our mood and even influence our behaviour. In The Neuropsychology of Smell and Taste, Neil Martin provides a comprehensive, critical analysis of the role of the brain in gustation and olfaction. In his accessible and characteristic style he shows why our sense of smell and taste do not simply perform basic and intermittent functions, but lie at the very centre of our perception of the world around us. Through an exploration of the physiology, anatomy and neuropsychology of the senses; the neurophysiological causes of smell and taste disorders, and their function in physical and mental illness, Neil Martin provides an accessible and up-to-date overview of the processes of gustation and olfaction.The Neuropsychology of Smell and Taste provides a state-of-the-art overview of current research in olfactory and gustatory perception. With sections describing the effect of odour and taste on our behaviour, and evaluating the contribution current neuroimaging technology has made to our understanding of the senses, the book will be of interest to researchers and students of neuropsychology and neuroscience, and anybody with an interest in olfaction and gustation.

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Out-of-hours, junior doctors and medical students often find themselves covering specialties and subspecialties out-of-hours that they have little or no experience in. Acute Surgery: The Survival Guide is the only completely up-to-date pocketbook on the market providing a clear plan for the management of common acute presentations in a concise, easy to manage format. It promotes confidence in dealing with the daunting range of acute presentations and provides a fail-safe approach to patient management plans in general surgery, vascular surgery, urology, EN T surgery and orthopaedics. It also contains vital advice on management of commonly seen ward issues and the approach to trauma patients. This handy guide offers clear, practical advice for junior doctors, medical students, foundation doctors and core surgical trainees. It is also highly recommended for nontraining doctors, in-house and senior house officers.

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Black Bag Moon: Doctors' Tales from Dusk to Dawn is filled with inspiring, educational, entertaining and often quirky tales. Based on a series of interviews conducted with general practitioners across the globe, the book creatively presents myriad aspects of clinical practice. Each fictionalised story illustrates various themes in the human condition, whilst simultaneously highlighting the struggles and achievements of both patients and doctors. This insightful collection offers stimulating reading for all healthcare professionals and general readers alike, who will appreciate the honest, often moving scenes which effortlessly unfold in each chapter.

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Do you want to develop effective supervisory, people and management skills? If you work in health or social care as a manager or clinician, deal with people on a daily basis, and need these dealings to be thoughtful, effective and stress free, this is the book for you. It teaches you how to understand and alleviate barriers to effective communication, manage the stresses and conflicts, and develop the effective clinical, people and management skills you need to navigate successfully through a career in healthcare. It challenges the reader to re-construct their approach to leadership and encourages the development of interpersonal, observational and caring skills. This highly practical guide, and its companion volume Developing Assertiveness Skills for Health and Social Care Professionals are essential tools for all health and social care professionals, particularly those in acute medicine, primary care and the community. It is also highly recommended to those without a management role wanting to understand how to develop their relationships with their colleagues and managers.

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Everything that exists, exists against a background. All of our experiences, beliefs and understandings of health practice derive from a living, organic and constantly moving context: whether scientific, philosophical, cultural, aesthetic, biological or spiritual. It is useful therefore to spend a little time understanding and reflecting on these building blocks of who we are. As practitioners, we don't always have time to do this...A little luxury...not essential, but hopefully a bit nourishing. Like a fireside cup of cocoa. - Justin Amery This extraordinary new series fills a void in practitioner development and well-being. The books take a reflective step back from the tick-box, target-driven and increasingly regulated world of 21st century health practice; and invite us to revisit what health and health practice actually are. Building carefully on the science and philosophy of health, each book addresses the messy, complex and often chaotic world of real-life health practice and offers an ancient but now almost revolutionary understanding for students and experienced practitioners alike: that health practice is a fundamentally creative and compassionate activity. The series as a whole helps practitioners to redefine and recreate their daily practice in ways that are healthier for both patients and practitioners. The books provide a welcome antidote to demoralisation and burn-out amongst practitioners, reversing cynicism and reviving our feeling of pride in, and our understanding of, health practice. By observing practice life through different lenses, they encourage the development of efficiency, effectiveness and, above all, satisfaction. The fifth book in this series, The Integrated Practitioner: Food for Thought, written for readers who prefer a more academic and reflective understanding of the themes of books 1-4.

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'In order to provide integrated healthcare, we need to integrate a huge number of...entities. Each one of these entities can be a useful tool for our practice. To be effective practitioners, we hope to gain some mastery of them. But sometimes we feel as if they have mastery of us. There are days when we feel on top of our game, we keep to time, we know instantly what's wrong, the right treatment is immediately to hand, our colleagues are supportive and helpful, and birdsong drifts through our open summer window. Then there are the other days...' Justin Amery This extraordinary new series fills a void in practitioner development and well-being. The books take a reflective step back from the tick-box, target-driven and increasingly regulated world of 21st century health practice; and invite us to revisit what health and health practice actually are. Building carefully on the science and philosophy of health, each book addresses the messy, complex and often chaotic world of real-life health practice and offers an ancient but now almost revolutionary understanding for students and experienced practitioners alike: that health practice is a fundamentally creative and compassionate activity. The series as a whole helps practitioners to redefine and recreate their daily practice, in ways that are healthier for both patients and practitioners. The books provide a welcome antidote to demoralisation and burn-out amongst practitioners, reversing cynicism and reviving our feeling of pride in, and our understanding of, health practice. By observing practice life through different lenses, they encourage the development of efficiency, effectiveness and, above all, satisfaction. The third book in the series, The Integrated Practitioner: Turning Tyrants into Tools in Health Practice explores the relationship between practitioners and their tangible, external tools such as time, computers, money, information, colleagues, equipment, targets and office spaces, along with less tangible elements like knowledge, understanding, language, values and beliefs. These tools can be of great benefit when fully integrated and balanced but they often end up controlling practitioners, dictating the manner in which the practice operates and ultimately reducing efficacy. It suggests ways for practitioners to harness the positive forces of these tools and regain control. Brilliantly written, practitioners, students and trainees and GP trainers will find the enlightening, witty, conversational style a joy to read.

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'In recent decades most of the international effort given over to studying and improving the safety of patient care has been focused in acute hospital settings. To some extent this was always something of a puzzle to those of us with a direct interest in this important issue...Now, however, the tide is slowly turning. Policymakers, healthcare leaders and research grant funders are beginning to recognise that greater evidence is required to understand more about what can and does go wrong in primary care, with increasing attention now being paid to what can be done to minimise avoidable harm to patients in this setting.' From the Preface This remarkable new book represents a substantial body of work - led by key educators and researchers - devoted to learning about and improving the safety of primary healthcare. It offers highly practical guidance and evidence for a broad range of related improvement methods, concepts and interventions developed and implemented by the NES primary care team, or as a direct result of fruitful partnerships between academic, professional, public or regulatory institutions across the UK and internationally. Skillfully presented, the book is organised into five interlinked parts, each with a number of related chapters. Safety and Improvement in Primary Care: The Essential Guide is ideal for frontline clinicians, managers and healthcare administrators needing practical guidance on safety and is also highly recommended for improvement advisers, patient safety officers, clinical governance facilitators, risk managers, and health services researchers wanting a critical review of theory and evidence.

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'Today, there exists a robust body of work connecting narrative theory and practice with medical theory, practice, teaching, and research. Taken together, what is particularly interesting about these works is that they portray narrative healthcare as both a philosophy of care and a set of skills - ' John D Engel, Lura L Pethtel and Joseph Zarconi, in the Preface This inspiring collection of narrative portraits details the career paths of physicians and nurses who figure prominently in the realms of narrative and relationship-centered healthcare. Each narrative describes the healthcare practitioner's early decision process for choosing their career and follows with a trajectory of events and work situations that brought each person to their present position. They offer a unique view from both a personal and a professional perspective. The collection of narrative portraits provides students, residents, and practicing health professionals a window into the possibilities for constructing professional lives that are oriented to service in ways that are fulfilling, energizing, and creative. The editors have made an important contribution to advancing the practice of narrative and relationship-centered medicine. They invite you to listen for the truths of your own story as you hear the voices of colleagues speak from the pages in your hand. Reflecting on the ultimate concerns that move you will enable you to more fully inhabit your own life story and become more authentic and vital as you heal others. Mark L Savickas, in the Foreword

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'Ophthalmology departments are among the busiest in any hospital, meaning that opportunities for direct teaching are limited, and the demand for juniors to undertake procedures is significant.' From the Preface Ophthalmology is a challenging and rewarding specialty that is underrepresented in undergraduate education and, consequently, trainee ophthalmologists often begin training with little or no experience in the specific skills required. This book provides the trainee ophthalmologist with a guide to a multitude of practical skills which form The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' syllabus. Using the College curriculum as a structure for the techniques discussed, each topic maintains a consistent format throughout, with RCOphth codes and target years of achievement, an aim, a list of equipment required and a methodical outline of the procedure. In some cases, discussion of the basic principles underlying an investigative technique, or the physiology of a particular sign, is included. Line drawings illustrate techniques where necessary, and vital 'pearls' of information are included as top tips for success. The appendix contains a concise summary of 50 major ophthalmic studies and papers, together with a summary of RCOphth and NICE guidance pertinent to ophthalmology. A much-needed addition to support the trainee's learning environment, Ophthalmic DOPS and OSATS: the handbook for work-based assessments serves as a vital reference as skills are learned and refined either in the workplace or during FRCOphth examination preparation. 'There are 179 competency requirements of the ophthalmology trainee embedded in The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' training curriculum. This may seem daunting to the trainee with little experience in ophthalmology in a learning environment that has hitherto been reliant on an apprenticeship model of experiential learning.' Patrick Watts in the Foreword

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Rewritten with the new primary care environment in mind, this greatly expanded and updated edition of Child Mental Health in Primary Care extends the structured approach of the first edition to adoelscent mental health. As in the first edition, Primary Child and Adolescent Mental Health covers each problem in a uniform way, offering definitions, assessment outlines, detailed management options and indications for referral. Numerous case examples further illuminate aspects of many conditions. Comprehensive and practical, the forty-eight chapters of Primary Child and Adolescent Mental Health cover the full range of difficulties and disabilities affecting the mental health of children and young people. The book is divided into three volumes, and can either be read from cover to cover or used as a resource to be consulted for guidance on specific problems. This book is vital for all healthcare professionals including general practitioners, health visitors and other staff working in primary care to assess, manage and refer children and adolescents with mental health problems. School medical officers, social workers and educational psychologists, many of whom are in the front line of mental health provision for children and young people, will also find it extremely useful. Reviews of the first edition: 'This very comprehensive and detailed book provides the tools for primary care health professionals not only to assess a child's needs but in many cases also to implement an initial package of care.' JUST FOR NURSES 'I have no reservation in recommending the book to all people working with children and families in any capacity. An important training text for a variety of professions. A very effective text to be used in daily practice for quick reference.' CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH 'This book is well produced and clearly written. A useful book for anyone interested or involved with children.' FAMILY PRACTICE 'I looked through the book again and again but could not find anything missing.' NURSING TIMES

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Neurological disorders account for 10% of consultations in primary care and 20% of acute hospital admissions, yet there is good evidence that 'neurophobia' is common among medical students lost in unnecessary detail. This has led to neurology's long-established reputation as a difficult subject. This book is the antidote to neurophobia. It is divided into four sections: Section I introduces the reader to clinical neurology by summarising the basic aspects of a neurological consultation including history and examination; Section II covers neurological signs related to cranial nerves, motor and sensory system and peripheral nerve lesions; Section III comprises the major and common diseases such as headache, epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's disease and Multiple sclerosis; and Section IV addresses other main neurological problems. The scope of this book is limited to only the most fundamental principles and omits all superfluous detail - ideal for medical students needing a concise introduction to neurology and an overview for revision.

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Academic Health Science Centers are complex organizations with three principal functions: the education of the next generation of health professionals; the conduct of biomedical and clinical research that leads to new treatments and approaches to disease; and the delivery of comprehensive and advanced patient care. This is the first comprehensive book that describes in detail the knowledge and skill base necessary to successfully lead these complex organizations. Written by the world's leading authorities it combines the science of leadership, organizational structure, financial and personnel management, public relations and communications, trainee and student policy, community relations, and globalization. "This volume focuses on policy considerations that provide the foundation for AHSCs to thrive. While the legislation, challenges, and strategies will change over time, the need for strong policy to influence and guide organizational and individual behavior will not. AHSCs are complex organizations that must continue to evolve to face the multifactorial nature of health care problems. How they do so will depend to a great extent not only on having appropriate policies in place but also on their success in translating these policies into effective implementation." Andrew M. Ibrahim and M. Roy Wilson, in the Foreword

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The proposed abolition of Primary Care Trusts and transfer of their commissioning functions to GP consortia have been greeted with intense excitement by some GPs, and with extreme trepidation by others. This book explains what commissioning is and how to do it, enabling clinicians to flourish as commissioners in the new NHS. Some topics that will be familiar to readers, such as long term conditions management, patient safety and the wider determinants of health, are explored here from a commissioning perspective. Others which may be less familiar, such as how to delegate, how to improve productivity, management theories and the content of financial accounts, are explored in detail. Additional skills needed by commissioning GPs - fostering innovation, assertiveness and emotional competence as well as negotiation, presentation and even media management skills - are outlined in a clear and straightforward fashion, while the necessary attitudes involved are described with reference to the Nolan Principles of Public Life. A straightforward yet comprehensive guide, Effective GP Commissioning - Essential Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes will be essential for GPs, prospective GPs, and those with an interest in effective commissioning. 'A useful resource for all GPs whatever their level of engagement and indeed for non-clinicians also. Sunil Gupta is clearly a GP and business magpie who has an incredible ability to gather, organise and present useful information. The content of this book is well-researched linking considerable volumes of information in a very useful, constructive manner.' - From the Foreword by Simon Gregory

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This concise yet comprehensive guide covers important topics concerning women's health. Using clinical scenarios, the reader can observe how conditions often present in the surgery and understand how they can be effectively managed. Each topic is followed by a self-test question to consolidate knowledge and understanding. The section then concludes with a detailed explanation of how the case should be practically managed. This guide is ideal for candidates preparing for the objective structured clinical exams (OSCEs and General Practice trainees preparing for the clinical skills assessment (CSA) as they will find the structure and question format highly beneficial. Each scenario is supplemented with extended matching questions (EMQs), single best answer questions (SBAs) and multiple choice questions (MCQs) which provide a broader overview of related clinical situations - invaluable exam preparation for any candidate.

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Doctors, midwives and other professionals entering the field of postnatal care frequently feel ill-prepared for the task, and a lack of accessible and relevant learning resources can leave learning on the job as the only realistic option. This combined book and DVD resource has been specifically created to provide an accessible guide to the clinical problems those new to postnatal care will face: what to do, how to counsel parents, and how to manage the most common scenarios. Demystifying the transition into the field, it provides practical solutions, and access to relevant background information through extensive references. The accompanying DVD explores specific areas though audiovisual presentations, including jaundice, hypoglycaemia, common issues in newborn examinations and neonatal management of antenatally-detected renal tract dilation. Created by experienced consultant neonatologists and senior trainees who deal regularly with the recurrent themes of day-to-day newborn care, this groundbreaking resource will be essential reading and viewing for all doctors, midwives, nurses and other health professionals new to the field.

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Twenty-Six Portland Place is a ground-breaking exploration of the early years of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, from its foundation in 1907 to its half-century in 1957. Following its formation at the height of the Empire, it became a forum in which to discuss and develop ideas and current research by physicians and clinical parasitologists into diseases prevalent in warm climates. The book also traces the Society's growth and development through two world wars and the turbulent national, international and medical politics of the period. As a former President of the Society with full access to its archives, Gordon C. Cook is uniquely placed to create this account, which will be of particular interest to historians and clinicians with an interest in tropical medicine, and to fellows of the Society.

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'Medical technology is beneficial for well researched dangerous diseases. However, most symptoms that people bring to their primary care physician have no single clearly identifiable cause: investigations and drugs do more harm than good - and also waste resources - ' - Wilfrid Treasure Diagnosis and Risk Management in Primary Care teaches that adopting an evidence-based approach to primary care improves patient care and treatment outcomes. It demonstrates that brief clinical assessments, repeated if necessary, allow effective diagnosis while avoiding the costs and complications associated with more advanced testing. Adopting a fresh approach, this book sets consultation skills alongside evidence-based information by both itemising the specific techniques and facts that are needed in the consulting room, and providing detailed information on odds and likelihood ratios to quantify risk and deal with uncertainty. This book provides food for thought, and helps doctors develop communication skills that support their personal styles of consulting, encouraging a more traditional, intuitive treatment. It provides a map of the consultation and a compass to navigate through symptoms, signs and evidence - listening to their patients with one ear and, with the other, to the reflective inner voice of reason. General Practitioner Specialist Trainees and their teachers will find much of interest, as will established General Practitioners with an interest in maintaining traditional models of care. Undergraduate medical students and candidates for the MRCGP will find this an ideal reader for the clinical skills assessment. 'What a breath of fresh air to find an author capable of putting the patient back at the centre of the consultation and who is able to entertain at the same time as he informs and to stimulate critical reflection while nudging us in the direction of a rigorous approach to diagnosis, and the assessment and communication of risk.' From the foreword by Roger Jones

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The Quality and Outcomes Framework has deeply divided UK general practitioners. I commend this book and applaud its determination to scrutinise every aspect of the Quality and Outcomes Framework - good and bad and in-between. - From the Foreword by Iona Heath General practice in the UK faces transformation following the introduction of the Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF), a pay-for-performance scheme unprecedented in the NHS, and the most comprehensive scheme of its kind in the world. Champions claim the QOF advances the quality of primary care; detractors fear the end of general practice as we know it. The introduction of the QOF provides a unique opportunity for research, analysis and reflection. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of the QOF, examining the claims and counter-claims in depth through the experience of those delivering QOF, comparisons with other countries, and analysis of the wealth of research evidence emerging. Assessments of the true impact of QOF will influence the development of health services in the UK and beyond. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the future of general practice and primary care, including health professionals, trainers, students, MRCGP candidates and researchers, managers, and policy-makers and shapers.

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'Peripheral vascular disease is common and has a significant adverse effect on the quality of life. A general practice with a list size of 6000 patients will have approximately 30 symptomatic patients with peripheral vascular disease' - Anita Sharma Peripheral vascular disease is a commonly neglected condition and therefore often presents in an advanced stage or in a life-threatening manner. General practitioners can play a vital role by making early diagnoses, prompt referrals, and in coordinating vascular risk factor management in primary care. This book is a concise and practical guide to recognising, managing and reducing the cardiovascular risk factors in patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Completely up-to-date, it offers clear direction for all primary care professionals. 'A pleasure for any busy professional to read and an excellent source and reference book for all primary care professionals. Students, nurses and registrars will be surprised with the descriptions of various pathologies simply explained, which they will seldom have noticed while working on hospital wards.' Dr Michael Taylor, in his Foreword 'A welcome source of knowledge and information, particularly for those working in the primary care setting with the aim of improving their standards of care.' - Dr Deepak Bhatnagar, in his Foreword 'Anita Sharma is an experienced, practising GP whose book on PVD offers new insights for primary care professionals and is a generous contribution to the work of primary care practitioners everywhere.' - Gail Richards, in her Foreword

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Pharmacological knowledge among medical students can have a very short 'half life': students often fail not because they have failed to study, but because they have been unable to retain key knowledge and reproduce it in an exam setting. This book takes an alternative route to the conventional approach of comprehensively exploring each individual drug and its features: not only can such an approach overwhelm and make knowledge retention difficult, but the current exam format makes questions structured in this way unlikely anyway. Instead of aiming to be completely comprehensive, it examines drugs systematically by classifications, mechanisms of action, therapeutic uses and side effects, enabling students to gain the distilled, functional grasp of pharmacology that their exams actually demand quickly and clearly.

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Growing numbers of women who experience pregnancy loss of all kinds - from early spontaneous miscarriage to stillbirth - seek help from practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their recovery and preparation for future pregnancy. However, CAM is largely unregulated, and can be an unfamiliar and confusing area for mainstream health professionals. Many of these also have questions about the efficacy and safety of complementary or alternative treatments, and what they may be able to offer. Meanwhile, CAM practitioners may be unaware of the medical investigations and treatments available for conditions such as miscarriage, ectopics, gestational trophoblastic disease, preterm labour, foetal reduction, intrauterine death and stillbirth, and other less common complications. This book, written by an experienced CAM practitioner, aims primarily to provide medical professionals with the knowledge and confidence to advise women seeking complementary or alternative treatments. The author draws on her experience as a CAM practitioner to illustrate key areas where integrating sound and professional CAM into standard practice can offer women benefits, including improved psychological recovery from pregnancy loss. It also gives CAM practitioners greater insight into conventional medicine, and aids them to better understand, respect and care for women experiencing pregnancy loss. This book will be essential reading for all those who work with women who have experienced pregnancy loss, including health visitors, midwives, GPs, practice nurses, counsellors, psychotherapists, and CAM practitioners of all kinds.

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This book explores and offers solutions to critical issues in graduate medical education, including how students are taught and evaluated and how their educational programs are funded. It will be key reading for medical educators, policy makers and all individuals and organizations with an interest in medical education.

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Mental health-substance use is a complex interrelation, with equally complex implications for individuals and their families, health professionals and society. Although its international recognition as an issue of critical importance is growing, clear guidance for professionals on mental health-substance use and its treatment is hard to find. The Mental Health-Substance Use series addresses this need, concentrating on concerns, dilemmas and concepts that impact on the life and well-being of affected individuals and those close to them, and the future direction of practice, education, research, services, interventions, and treatment. Having outlined the field and service development in previous books, the third book in the series explores how professionals can best respond to the particular concerns and dilemmas arising from and in mental health-substance use for individuals and their families. It aims to inform, develop and educate these responses by sharing knowledge and enhancing expertise in this fast-developing field by exploring the interrelated psychological, physical, social, legal and spiritual experiences. The volumes in this series are designed to challenge concepts and stimulate debate, exploring all aspects of the development in treatment, intervention and care responses, and the adoption of research-led best practice. They are essential reading for mental health and substance use professionals, students and educators.

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Mental health-substance use is a complex interrelation, with equally complex implications for individuals and their families, health professionals and society. Although its international recognition as an issue of critical importance is growing, clear guidance for professionals on mental health-substance use and its treatment is hard to find. The Mental Health-Substance Use series addresses this need, concentrating on concerns, dilemmas and concepts that impact on the life and well-being of affected individuals and those close to them, and the future direction of practice, education, research, services, interventions, and treatment. Having set the scene with the first book's Introduction, this second book in the series tackles service development: how to evaluate the current state from a firm knowledge base, plan and manage change to provide better services, and continue monitoring and evaluating them on an ongoing basis. The volumes in this series are designed to challenge concepts and stimulate debate, exploring all aspects of the development in treatment, intervention and care responses, and the adoption of research-led best practice. They are essential reading for mental health and substance use professionals, students and educators

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As our understanding of the mechanisms of the brain and nervous system that underlie the conscious experience of pain has increased over the past 60 years, so too has the field of pain management. What began as almost exclusively the domain of anaesthetists has become multidisciplinary, and now comprises many other specialisms including neurology, psychology, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. This spate of activity has been paralleled by a similar growth in research: in neurophysiology, psychology and pharmacology as well as clinical medicine. Simultaneously, the pharmaceutical industry has spent billions of pounds and dollars in the search for better drugs for relieving pain. This ground-breaking book is compiled by former contributors to The Special Interest Group for Philosophy and Ethics of the British Pain Society. The issues discussed include satisfactory relief of chronic pain, the inadequacy of scientific biomedicine in offering answers, and ethical problems arising in pain medicine. 'Suffering cannot be found in a laboratory test or imaging study; it is only observable by communicating with the sufferer. The eleven chapters in this book approach this conundrum from vastly different perspectives, some highly personal and others broadly social. Issues such as the interface between the physician and the pharmaceutical industry are also presented. Each chapter describes a facet of the problems of suffering and some of the available paths to recovery.' John D Loeser in the Foreword

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The Royal College of Psychiatrists has recently changed the format of its membership examination to adopt multiple choice questions (MCQs). This book of mock MCQ papers includes 675 questions and answers covering all subjects of the Paper I curriculum. It is an essential aid for all candidates preparing for the MRPsch Paper I, and will also be usefil for those revising for the similarly-themed Paper II and Paper III examinations.

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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 II. 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 II of the MRCPsych examination.

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With packed curricula in most health care training institutions, and hectic schedules in practices and administrative offices, time for teaching vital communication and interpersonal skills is often at a premium.This book is designed to equip trainees with the skills needed to deal effectively with conflict, difficult behaviours and other complex situations, employing a 'learning by doing' approach for effective and engaging learning. It has been designed for practice leaders, hospital leaders and public health professionals helping health care professionals upgrade their skills, and especially for faculty members who teach students and residents. It contains over 100 exercises designed for use in a variety of training situations, and which take into consideration the often limited training time available for non-clinical topics. The exercises range in length from minutes to over an hour, whilst a selection grid allows trainers and educators to select the right exercises to cover topics in the available time.

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This guide draws together the latest developments in eating disorders. Together with its companion volume "Annual Review of Eating Disorders Part 1-2007", this resource covers the twenty key topics.It is a compilation of reviews from leading scientists and clinicians, and is the essential update for busy professionals and health researchers, with a clear emphasis on clinical implications. It also provides invaluable information for psychologists, psychiatrists, dieticians, family doctors, pediatricians, counsellors and educators.'An impressive collection of comprehensive reviews covering the state-of-the-science in the eating disorders field. These reviews evaluate clinical and empirical data published in 2004-2006 examining issues as diverse as neurobiological influences, body image, and treatment of eating disorders. The depth and scope of the reviews are a testament to the hard work of the editors and the authors who volunteered their time for this important project.' - Kelly L Klump, in the Foreword.

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Increasingly, primary care professionals are faced with challenges in dealing with patients who have been affected by a genetic disorder, or whose family history is of concern. A basic understanding of clinical genetics and the role of the genetics centres leads to greater confidence in the management of these patients. This book is an ideal introduction to the principles of genetics. It outlines the key influences that will affect primary care including screening programmes, the role of genetics education (such as the RCGP Genetics Curriculum) and national guidelines. It provides information on basic clinical genetics and includes some of the more common clinical genetic conditions seen in primary care, such as cystic fibrosis, breast cancer and the haemoglobinopathies. It addresses some of the key ethical issues that may be faced including patient confidentiality, the ethics of reproductive genetic medicine and relevant medico-legal cases. The wider societal impact of genetics is also discussed. An introduction to the increasing impact of genetics into primary care, this book is invaluable for every primary healthcare professional.

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This work includes Foreword by Ian Banks - President, Men's Health Forum. Traditionally, men have been seen as reluctant to access health services, but getting men to engage with their health isn't an impossible task once you're equipped with a few tricks of the trade. This concise, easy to read guide offers a no-nonsense, practical approach to the development and implementation of men's health programmes. Based on years of wide-ranging experience, the book is designed for anyone who is involved in service delivery for men and boys, and demonstrates what can be achieved with adequate resources, a flexible approach and a sound understanding of men's needs. It is ideal for all healthcare professionals and managers, and medicine and nursing students undertaking specialist men's health and health promotion courses. It is also of great interest to teachers and youth leaders, including school nurses. Healthcare policy makers and shapers will find it enlightening reading. 'This book is for anyone who wants to find out how to successfully set up and deliver health services aimed at men and boys. Traditionally, men have been seen as reluctant to access health services, but getting men to engage with their health isn't an impossible task once you're equipped with a few tricks of the trade. Although this is primarily intended to be a practical guide, much of the book will also be of interest to academics, policy makers and managers. It demonstrates what can be achieved with adequate resources, a flexible approach and a sound understanding of men's needs.' - David Conrad and Alan White, in the Preface. 'As an issue men's health is plagued by myth, ignorance and inequality, but most of all by a lack of solid research based on evidence-based work with men themselves. Lofty academics pontificate endlessly on the meaning of 'masculinity' yet never get their invariably white Caucasian, middle class hands dirty on what really impacts on Y chromosome owners. The Bradford team didn't just wonder about masculinity and scratch male pattern baldness, they did something measurable about men's health and ethnicity so other workers could use their evidence base to actually change the dreadful health status quo. An excellent and unique "Dirty Hands Manual".' - Ian Banks, in the Foreword.

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This practical and patient-centred guide assists medical professionals in delivering better clinical care to Arab patients. In examining the psychosocial underpinnings of Arab medicine, this unique book summarises and assesses the latest research, taking into account the needs and priorities of Arab patients. Important issues covered include patient education, compliance, 'doctor shopping', and psychiatric and mental health services. The evidence-based approach integrates academic research and first-hand experience from the unique bicultural position of the contributors. "Caring for Arab Patients" is vital for all healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and occupational therapists with responsibilities for Arab patients, throughout the world. Students of medicine and nursing will find much of interest, as will healthcare managers, researchers, academics, policy makers and shapers.

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This book contains a forword by Ron Pust, Professor of Family Medicine, University of Arizona, USA. Written by a practicing physician with 30 years experience both in America and Africa, "Suffering and Healing in America" takes a critical look at Western health care and examines its weaknesses. With a thought provoking rather than prescriptive approach, this extraordinary book offers a new reasoning in health care: learning from history and traditional cultures. "Suffering and Healing in America" will be of great interest to all health care professionals and researchers with an interest in public health. Religious and spiritual leaders will find this book a source of inspiration, and policy makers and shapers worldwide will find plenty to inform and guide their thoughts on the future of health care in America and beyond. 'It doesn't matter whether you are a provider or a consumer of health care, whether in the USA or outside, this book continues to draw keenly reflective cultural insights to challenge us all. America has money and science, but we may have abandoned the spiritual and social context of our lives and deaths. In Africa, and in many other places on our planet, it is quite the opposite. I invite you to explore these contrasts with Ray Downing. This book's lessons have much to teach us.' - Ron Pust, in the Foreword.

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This book contains a foreword by Ann Thompson, Professor of Midwifery, University of Manchester. This illuminating book describes young people's thoughts and feelings before and after an abortion, and includes their experiences in the long term. It increases understanding and stimulates discussion of abortion issues without bias, and incorporates political, religious, social, physical and mental considerations in its wide-ranging approach. The personal narratives from both women and men make the issues particularly powerful. "Memories After Abortion" offers thought provoking ideas for all health and social care professionals involved in pregnancy issues. Undergraduate and postgraduate health and social care students, counsellors, therapists, teachers and youth/religious leaders will also find it invaluable. 'Consideration of abortion causes a lot of distress, anxiety and debate within society. This book should be read by women and men so that they can debate and understand each others' views and experiences in their relationships. It should also be read by nurses, midwives, doctors, health-service administrators and those providing social care.' - Ann M Thomson, in the Foreword.

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