Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.

Proceedings of SPIE present the original research papers presented at SPIE conferences and other high-quality conferences in the broad-ranging fields of optics and photonics. These books provide prompt access to the latest innovations in research and technology in their respective fields. Proceedings of SPIE are among the most cited references in patent literature.

This book contains up-to-date noninvasive monitoring and diagnosing systems closely developed by a set of scientists, engineers, and physicians. The chapters are the results of different biomedical projects and theoretical studies that were coupled by simulations and real-world data. Non-Invasive Health Systems based on Advanced Biomedical Signal and Image Processing provides a multifaceted view of various biomedical and clinical approaches to health monitoring systems. The authors introduce advanced signal- and image-processing techniques as well as other noninvasive monitoring and diagnostic systems such as inertial sensors in wearable devices and novel algorithm-based hybrid learning systems for biosignal processing. The book includes a discussion of designing electronic circuits and systems for biomedical applications and analyzes several issues related to real-world data and how they relate to health technology including ECG signal monitoring and processing in the operating room. The authors also include detailed discussions of different systems for monitoring various conditions and diseases including sleep apnea, skin cancer, deep vein thrombosis, and prosthesis controls. This book is intended for a wide range of readers including scientists, researchers, physicians, and electronics and biomedical engineers. It will cover the gap between theory and real life applications.

The first introductory book on the subject, this book will provide a complete grounding to this pioneering field for students and professionals across biomedical engineering, biology and medicine. It features a comprehensive overview of original work in this revolutionary field. Topics discussed include drug delivery, cell-material interaction and gene therapy, accompanied by real-world examples and over 100 illustrations. The book teaches readers how to design and test their own nanomedical systems for real-world applications in biomedical engineering, medicine and pharmacy. Presenting a thorough discussion of the science and engineering of nanomedicine, it discusses vital environmental, social and ethical impacts of this revolutionary technology. Including over 200 thought-provoking study questions, allowing the reader to self-assess their understanding, this book is a rich source of information that will be of interest and importance in nanomedicine.

Includes Proceedings Vol. 7821

Fluorescence-based sensing is a significant technique used in prominent fields such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting, DNA sequencing, high-throughput screening, and clinical diagnostics. Fluorescence Sensors and Biosensors emphasizes the most recent developments and emerging technologies with the broadest impacts. The text begins wi