The Brain That Changes Itself

Changes in the organization of health services in developing countries have led to district levels assuming more responsibility for the planning, delivery and quality of community health care. This fully up-dated new edition has been produced to help those working in the district laboratory, and those responsible for the organization and management of community laboratory services and the training of district laboratory personnel. Replacing the previous publication Medical Laboratory Manual for Tropical Countries, this book provides an up-to-date practical bench manual, taking a modern approach to the provision of a quality medical laboratory service.

Now in its Third Edition, An Introduction to Medical Statistics contin ues to be and invaluable textbook for medical students, doctors, medic al researchers, nurses, members of professionals allied to medicine as well as those concerned with medical data. The material covered inclu des all the statistical work that would be required for a course in me dicine and for the examinations of most of the Royal Colleges. It incl udes the design of clinical trials and epidemiological studies, data c ollection, summarizing and presenting data, probability, standard erro r, confidence intervals and significance tests, techniques of data ana lusis including multifactorial methods and the choice of statistical m ethod, problems of medical measurement and diagnosis, vital statistics, and calculation of sample size.

Patients with chronic conditions often need psychosocial support and brief counseling to help them make the lifestyle and behavioral changes required to prevent disease complications. This innovative text, with contributions from respected clinicians and researchers in all arenas of behavioral health, provides comprehensive training for all health professionalsóincluding those in medicine, nursing, social work, mental health, and clinical and health psychologyówho desire targeted evidence-based training in behavioral health skills. Rich case examples drawn from typical patient presentations demonstrate the relationship between physical and psychological health and the complexity of behavioral change in chronic illness.

This text is a timely, relevant, and practical resource for all members of the primary care team. It prepares team members to work in the model of patient-centered integrated care in accordance with the recommendations of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) medical home standards for identifying patient needs and providing coordinated and comprehensive patient care. The book focuses on knowledge and skills needed for working with the most common chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, chronic pain, cardiovascular conditions, sleep disorders, geriatric conditions, cancer-related conditions, and substance abuse. It includes chapters on epidemiological trends in chronic illness and systems medicine. Theories of health behavior and behavioral change and evidence-based interventions provide a foundation for skill development, followed by detailed coverage of the requirements for behavioral management of specific chronic conditions. Sample referrals and consultation notes provide concrete examples of how the behavioral health specialist might respond to a referral.

KEY FEATURES:

• Provides comprehensive graduate-level training for the role of Behavioral Health Specialist
• Describes the health promotion and counseling skills needed to function as part of an integrated health team
• Focuses on proficiencies needed for working with common chronic conditions
• Addresses the psychosocial components of primary care disorders
• Includes case examples demonstrating the relationship between physical and psychological health and the complexity of behavioral change in chronic illness