Decision making is a critical element in the field of medicine that can lead to life-or-death outcomes, yet it is an element fraught with complex and conflicting variables, diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainties, patient preferences and values, and costs. Together, decisions made by physicians, patients, insurers, and policymakers determine the quality of health care, quality that depends inherently on counterbalancing risks and benefits and competing objectives such as maximizing life expectancy versus optimizing quality of life or quality of care versus economic realities. Broadly speaking, concepts in medical decision making (MDM) may be divided into two major categories: prescriptive and descriptive. Work in the area of prescriptive MDM investigates how medical decisions should be done using complicated analyses and algorithms to determine cost-effectiveness measures, prediction methods, and so on. In contrast, descriptive MDM studies how decisions actually are made involving human judgment, biases, social influences, patient factors, and so on. The Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making gives a gentle introduction to both categories, revealing how medical and healthcare decisions are actually made—and constrained—and how physician, healthcare management, and patient decision making can be improved to optimize health outcomes. Key Features Discusses very general issues that span many aspects of MDM, including bioethics; health policy and economics; disaster simulation modeling; medical informatics; the psychology of decision making; shared and team medical decision making; social, moral, and religious factors; end-of-life decision making; assessing patient preference and patient adherence; and more Incorporates both quantity and quality of life in optimizing a medical decision Considers characteristics of the decisionmaker and how those characteristics influence their decisions Presents outcome measures to judge the quality or impact of a medical decision Examines some of the more commonly encountered biostatistical methods used in prescriptive decision making Provides utility assessment techniques that facilitate quantitative medical decision making Addresses the many different assumption perspectives the decision maker might choose from when trying to optimize a decision Offers mechanisms for defining MDM algorithms With comprehensive and authoritative coverage by experts in the fields of medicine, decision science and cognitive psychology, and healthcare management, this two-volume Encyclopedia is a must-have resource for any academic library.

"The most comprehensive one-volume reference work on health care management published in the last 10 years, this work brings together much useful information and will appeal to a broad audience. Health science libraries, college libraries, and large public libraries will want to invest in this title." --BOOKLIST "This volume should be considered by academic and public libraries with large healthcare management or business collections as the only current reference on this topic." --LIBRARY JOURNAL "The Encyclopedia of Health Care Management would be useful for those involved in any aspect of health care, whether as a student, instructor, practitioner, researcher, or administrator. This book would be of great use in reference collections at public, university, hospital, and corporate libraries." --E-STREAMS Health care is one of today′s most discussed and debated topics. From issues such as accessibility to costs to quality, the debates range widely among doctors, patients, employers, and insurers. A popular topic in political campaigns and the media, health care and health care management is also a quiet and unremitting concern in the private and personal lives of individuals who worry about someday having to choose between food and prescription drugs. For this reason, in today′s health care industry, good business practices may be as important as the practice of medicine in assuring the continued health of the industry. The Encyclopedia of Health Care Management will prove invaluable to libraries serving students and professionals in health and business. It will also be an essential reference for physicians, providers and their employees, and students and professors in health and management for responsible and successful practice and administration in the health care industry. This encyclopedia is the most comprehensive reference work on the business of health care, with up-to-date information across a broad range of issues affecting every aspect of the industry and the people it serves, employs, and influences. Key Features The most comprehensive reference work on health care management Broad range of timely topics, spanning academic, corporate and governmental arenas Over 600 entries More than 160 expert contributors in the fields of medicine, public health, and business Tables on Health Care Acronyms Medical Degrees Medical Legislation Medical Organizations Medical Specialties About the Editor Michael J. Stahl, Ph.D. is Director of the Physician Executive MBA Program and Distinguished Professor of Management in the College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Stahl received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the State University of NY at Buffalo and his Ph.D. in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. From 1982-1989, Stahl was Head of the Management Department at Clemson University He was Associate Dean in the College of Business at the University of Tennessee from 1989-1997. Dr. Stahl has published over 50 journal articles in a variety of areas including Strategic Management, TQ, and healthcare, as well as twelve books including Strategic Management, Perspectives in TQ, and The Physician′s Essential MBA. He teaches strategy and business planning in the Physician EMBA, Taiwan EMBA, and MBA Programs. Recommended Libraries Academic, Public, Special, Private/Corporate

Today, as never before, healthcare has the ability to enhance the quality and duration of life. At the same time, healthcare has become so costly that it can easily bankrupt governments and impoverish individuals and families. Health services research is a highly multidisciplinary field, including such areas as health administration, health economics, medical sociology, medicine, , political science, public health, and public policy. The Encyclopedia of Health Services Research is the first single reference source to capture the diversity and complexity of the field. With more than 400 entries, these two volumes investigate the relationship between the factors of cost, quality, and access to healthcare and their impact upon medical outcomes such as death, disability, disease, discomfort, and dissatisfaction with care. Key Features Examines the growing healthcare crisis facing the United States Encompasses the structure, process, and outcomes of healthcare Aims to improve the equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of healthcare by influencing and developing public policies Describes healthcare systems and issues from around the globe Key Themes Access to Care Accreditation, Associations, Foundations, and Research Organizations Biographies of Current and Past Leaders Cost of Care, Economics, Finance, and Payment Mechanisms Disease, Disability, Health, and Health Behavior Government and International Healthcare Organizations Health Insurance Health Professionals and Healthcare Organizations Health Services Research Laws, Regulations, and Ethics Measurement; Data Sources and Coding; and Research Methods Outcomes of Care Policy Issues, Healthcare Reform, and International Comparisons Public Health Quality and Safety of Care Special and Vulnerable Groups The Encyclopedia is designed to be an introduction to the various topics of health services research for an audience including undergraduate students, graduate students, andgeneral readers seeking non-technical descriptions of the field and its practices. It is also useful for healthcare practitioners wishing to stay abreast of the changes and updates in the field.

Medical Decision Making provides clinicians with a powerful framework for helping patients make decisions that increase the likelihood that they will have the outcomes that are most consistent with their preferences. This new edition provides a thorough understanding of the key decision making infrastructure of clinical practice and explains the principles of medical decision making both for individual patients and the wider health care arena. It shows how to make the best clinical decisions based on the available evidence and how to use clinical guidelines and decision support systems in electronic medical records to shape practice guidelines and policies. Medical Decision Making is a valuable resource for all experienced and learning clinicians who wish to fully understand and apply decision modelling, enhance their practice and improve patient outcomes. “There is little doubt that in the future many clinical analyses will be based on the methods described in Medical Decision Making, and the book provides a basis for a critical appraisal of such policies.” - Jerome P. Kassirer M.D., Distinguished Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine, US and Visiting Professor, Stanford Medical School, US

Focusing on a healthcare organization's ability to improve access, quality, and value of care to the patient, this volume provides an extensive and rich compilation of international research which discusses the use, adoption, design, and diffusion of information communication technologies (ICTs) in healthcare.

The Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making presents state-of-the-art research and ready-to-use facts sorting out findings on medical decision making and their applications.

The aim of this comprehensive encyclopedia is to provide detailed information on intensive care medicine contributing to the broad field of emergency medicine. The wide range of entries in the Encyclopedia of Intensive Care Medicine are written by leading experts in the field. They will provide basic and clinical scientists in academia, practice, as well as industry with valuable information about the field of intensive care medicine, but also people in related fields, students and teachers will benefit from the important and relevant information on the most recent developments in emergency medicine. The Encyclopedia will contain 4 volumes, and published simultaneously online. The entire field has been divided into 14 sections. All entries will be arranged in alphabetical order with extensive cross-referencing between them.