Reductionist biology and population medicine - strange bedfellows or a marriage made in heaven?

Article Abstract:

The work of public health practitioners involves knowledge of a variety of disciplines, including, medicine, epidemiology (the study of the occurrence, distribution, and causes of disease in humans), and statistics. These professionals study the health of communities and entire populations (population medicine), and are less concerned with individual cases. Physicians have been trained to work under an understanding of disease and therapeutics at the molecular level (reductionist biology). These professionals often feel that a large gap exists between their practices; however, they can effectively collaborate in the interest of society. For the sake of improving and maintaining public health, they can work together better than they can apart. The July 25 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). This report calls for a collaborative effort of physicians and public health professionals regarding public health issues. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Reports, Education, Public health, American Medical Association, Public health personnel, editorial

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Using academic health centers to help avoid health care's next crisis

Article Abstract:

Academic health centers could play a critical role in expanding access to care among the medically underserved. Academic health centers are usually based at a university and generally have a medical school and other professional health schools such as nursing and dentistry and at least one major teaching hospital. So far, the nation's 115 academic health centers have been largely unsuccessful in increasing the number of health care professionals interested in providing primary care. Furthermore, the federal government earmarks little of the financial aid to academic health centers for outpatient primary care. A three-step plan to improve patient access would incorporate the services of academic health centers. First, the center, along with community groups, would conduct a needs assessment for an underserved population. Then a consortium of community providers would create a plan for providing services. Third, the National Health Service Corps would assign health care professionals to meet those needs not served by the private sector.

Care and treatment, Planning, Services, Column, Medically uninsured persons, Health care reform, Hospitals, Teaching, Teaching hospitals, Medically underserved areas

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The Quest for the Therapeutic Organization

Article Abstract:

Academic medical centers should try to become therapeutic organizations. Academic medical centers are clinics and hospitals that are affiliated with a medical school. A therapeutic organization is one that adopts many of the characteristics of an individual doctor. These include scientific and technical competence, an understanding of suffering, death and dying, knowledge of the placebo effect and its role in scientific health care practice, and an ability to communicate and especially to listen. Academic medical centers that adopt this model will combine humanism with scientific and technical excellence.

Models, Organizational change, Hospitals, University, University hospitals

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