"Introduction: It has been increasingly recognized that social determinants can impact the health of patients and populations. Although there are a growing number of publications and studies about this topic in industrialized countries, relatively little is published in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In particular, there is little known about how physicians in this region can help to address the underlying social causes of poor health of their patients. The objectives of this study are: 1) To identify common social challenges faced by patients in Eastern Mediterranean countries, 2) To assess what doctors are already doing to address these challenges, 3) To identify barriers and facilitators for addressing the social causes of poor health in the clinical encounter, and 4). To explore the main similarities and differences between doctors' experiences in Eastern Mediterranean countries as compared to the Canadian context where social accountability is increasingly emphasized in medical education and accreditation standards of health care institutions. Methods: We conducted a qualitative research study employing a qualitative descriptive methodology. A maximum variation purposive sampling approach was used to recruit physicians with a wide range of age groups, genders, countries of origin, types of clinical practice and years since training. A snowball technique was also used to identify additional participants. Recruitment continued until data saturation was reached. In total, semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 18 doctors who were trained in Eastern Mediterranean countries but have since moved to Canada. In this way, all study participants had in-depth understanding and practical clinical experience as health professionals in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, as well as an awareness of the Canadian health care system and context. All interviews were conducted in English, whether in person or over the phone, and transcribed verbatim. A conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data.Results: According to study respondents, the main social challenges of patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region include poverty, illiteracy, domestic violence, unstable families, and food insecurity. Doctors there have attempted to help their patients by providing free medical services and free medications, establishing a donation box for underprivileged patients and referring to social workers, where available. Barriers to addressing social determinants in this context include cultural constraints, lack of time, unfamiliarity or unavailability of social support organizations, shortages of family doctors, and lack of formal training in how to address social determinants of health. Study participants acknowledged that Canadian health care providers have greater access to a wide range of social support resources, a better developed social security network for patients living with disadvantage, and increasingly more training and awareness about the social determinants of health and social accountability role than in their countries of origin. Conclusions: Most study participants expressed their willingness to help patients in dealing with social challenges, and shared their experiences of tackling such issues, though there were also important barriers reported that would need to be overcome. Participants suggested that better addressing social challenges in clinical care within the Eastern Mediterranean context would require educating both doctors and patients about the importance of discussing the patient's social environment as part of the clinical encounter, as well as advocating for broader policy approaches by governments to address the underlying structural causes of widespread social challenges." --

The increasing demand for health care and advances in healthcare technologies has exacerbated the present shortage of health personnel. In response to these changes, physicians may choose to offer their services elsewhere. Labor and Health Economics in the Mediterranean Region: Migration and Mobility of Medical Doctors addresses the mobility of physicians in the Mediterranean region within a global context, focusing on the role mobility has played in the global health system in both developed and developing economies. Besides universities and researchers, public and private medical practitioners and agencies can make use of this book to further their knowledge of the changing healthcare industry.

This book is a companion to Clinical Ethics on Film and deals specifically with the myriad of healthcare ethics dilemmas. While Clinical Ethics on Film focuses on bedside ethics dilemmas that affect the healthcare provider-patient relationship, Healthcare Ethics on Film provides a wider lens on ethics dilemmas that interfere with healthcare delivery, such as healthcare access, discrimination, organizational ethics, or resource allocation. The book features detailed and comprehensive chapters on the Tuskegee Study, AIDS, medical assistance in dying, the U.S. healthcare system, reproductive justice, transplant ethics, pandemic ethics and more. Healthcare Ethics on Film is the perfect tool for remote or live teaching. It’s designed for medical educators and healthcare professionals teaching any aspect of bioethics, healthcare ethics or the health sciences, including medical humanities, history of medicine and health law. It is also useful to the crossover market of film buffs and other readers involved in healthcare or bioethics.

How do we understand and respond to the pressing health problems of modern society? Conventional practice focuses on the assessment and clinical treatment of immediate health issues presented by individual patients. In contrast, social medicine advocates an equal focus on the assessment and social treatment of underlying social conditions, such as environmental factors, structural violence, and social injustice. Social Justice and Medical Practice examines the practice of social medicine through extensive life history interviews with a physician practicing the approach in marginalized communities. It presents a case example of social medicine in action, demonstrating how such a practice can be successfully pursued within the context of the existing structure of twenty-first-century medicine. In examining the experience of a physician on the frontlines of reforming health care, the book critiques the restrictive nature of the dominant clinical model of medicine and argues for a radically expanded focus for modern-day medical practice. Social Justice and Medical Practice is a timely intervention at a time when even advanced health care systems are facing multiple crises. Lucidly written, it presents a striking alternative and is important reading for students and practitioners of medicine and anthropology, as well as policy makers.

1. Introduction and methods of work.-- 2. Alcohol: equity and social determinants.-- 3. Cardiovascular disease: equity and social determinants.-- 4. Health and nutrition of children: equity and social determinants.-- 5. Diabetes: equity and social determinants.-- 6. Food safety: equity and social determinants.-- 7. Mental disorders: equity and social determinants.-- 8. Neglected tropical diseases: equity and social determinants.-- 9. Oral health: equity and social determinants.-- 10. Unintended pregnancy and pregnancy outcome: equity and social determinants.-- 11. Tobacco use: equity and social determinants.-- 12. Tuberculosis: the role of risk factors and social determinants.-- 13. Violence and unintentional injury: equity and social determinants.-- 14. Synergy for equity.

This is the first book to analyze in depth the current causes of shortage of family physicians and the relative weakness of the family practice model in many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Focusing on engagement with the private health sector in scaling up family practice, the book explores why primary health care can make the difference and how it can be introduced and strengthened. Comparative experiences from around the world put the EMR in context, while the book also highlights where the EMR is special – in particular, the burden for health care of refugees and displaced persons, and the need of public-private partnerships.

This book introduces an interdisciplinary lens by bringing together vital research on culture, psychosocial development, and key aspects of health and disease to address a wide range of salient concerns. Its scholarship mirrors the diversity of the Arab American population, exploring ethnic concepts in socio-historical and political contexts before reviewing findings on major health issues, including diabetes, cancer, substance abuse, mental illness, and maternal/child health. And by including policy and program strategies for disease prevention, health promotion, and environmental health, the book offers practitioners--and their clients--opportunities for proactive care. Featured in the coverage: Family, gender and social identity issues Arab Americans and the aging process Acculturation and ethnic identity across the lifespan Arab refugees: Trauma, resilience, and recovery Cancer: Crossroads of ethnicity and environment Health and well-being: Biopsychosocial prevention approaches Arab American health disparities: A call for advocacy Rich in cultural information and clinical insights, Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans is an important reference that can enhance health practices across the disciplines of medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, social work, counseling, and psychology.

Get to know the sociopolitical context behind microaggressions Microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership (e.g., race, gender, culture, religion, social class, sexual orientation, etc.). These daily, common manifestations of aggression leave many people feeling vulnerable, targeted, angry, and afraid. How has this become such a pervasive part of our social and political rhetoric, and what is the psychology behind it? In Microaggression Theory, the original research team that created the microaggressions taxonomy, Gina Torino, David Rivera, Christina Capodilupo, Kevin Nadal, and Derald Wing Sue, address these issues head-on in a fascinating work that explores the newest findings of microaggressions in their sociopolitical context. It delves into how the often invisible nature of this phenomenon prevents perpetrators from realizing and confronting their own complicity in creating psychological dilemmas for marginalized groups, and discusses how prejudice, privilege, safe spaces, and cultural appropriation have become themes in our contentious social and political discourse. Details the psychological effects of microaggressions in separate chapters covering clinical impact, trauma, related stress syndromes, and the effect on perpetrators Examines how microaggressions affect education, employment, health care, and the media Explores how social policies and practices can minimize the occurrence and impact of microaggressions in a range of environments Investigates how microaggressions relate to larger social movements If you come across the topic of microaggressions in your day-to-day life, you can keep the conversation going in a productive manner—with research to back it up!

The decade ahead will test the nation's nearly 4 million nurses in new and complex ways. Nurses live and work at the intersection of health, education, and communities. Nurses work in a wide array of settings and practice at a range of professional levels. They are often the first and most frequent line of contact with people of all backgrounds and experiences seeking care and they represent the largest of the health care professions. A nation cannot fully thrive until everyone - no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make - can live their healthiest possible life, and helping people live their healthiest life is and has always been the essential role of nurses. Nurses have a critical role to play in achieving the goal of health equity, but they need robust education, supportive work environments, and autonomy. Accordingly, at the request of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on behalf of the National Academy of Medicine, an ad hoc committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted a study aimed at envisioning and charting a path forward for the nursing profession to help reduce inequities in people's ability to achieve their full health potential. The ultimate goal is the achievement of health equity in the United States built on strengthened nursing capacity and expertise. By leveraging these attributes, nursing will help to create and contribute comprehensively to equitable public health and health care systems that are designed to work for everyone. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, utilizing technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030. This work builds on the foundation set out by The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011) report.