Making informed health-care decisions is vital to everyone, especially to those who are living with chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 6 in 10 people in the United States have a chronic disease and 4 in 10 have two or more chronic diseases. Health literacy is important for individuals to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Limited health literacy has been linked to poor health outcomes such as higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Both these outcomes are associated with higher health-care costs. Disease Management Sourcebook, Fourth Edition addresses these concerns by giving a basic understanding on chronic diseases along with tips to treat and manage them. It also provides facts for navigating through the health-care system, communicating with health-care providers, and finding and evaluating health information. It covers the importance of health literacy, patient rights and responsibilities, privacy, medical errors, and health-care scams. Facts about medications--including prescription, generic, over-the-counter, and counterfeit drugs--are included. It explains assistive technologies available to help people who have chronic illnesses and provides tips for dealing with legal, financial, and health-insurance matters. The concluding chapter features a glossary and directories of resources for patients and their families and caregivers. Part 1. Introduction to Diseases presents an overview of chronic diseases in the United States. It includes information about family health history and risk factors for chronic disease and symptoms that may indicate serious health conditions or medical emergencies. It describes common screening and diagnostic tests and offers tips for finding support after receiving a diagnosis. Part 2. Treatment and Management of Common Diseases and Disorders discusses the treatment and management of the most common diseases and disorders of the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, urinary system, nervous system and immune system. It also talks about gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, genetic disorders, and mental health diseases and disorders. Part 3. Working with Health-Care Providers and the Health-Care System provides information about effective communication in a doctor's office or hospital setting. Topics include making decisions in consultation with the doctor, second opinions, complementary and alternative medicine, and laboratory services. Basic information about choosing a hospital and undergoing surgery is also provided, and issues related to health-care quality are addressed. Part 4. Health Literacy and Making Informed Health Decisions discusses the skills that are essential for making knowledgeable health-care choices. Developments in health information technology are discussed. Insight into eHealth literacy is provided, and patients' rights and responsibilities are also discussed. Patient privacy rights, informed consent, medical errors, and health-care fraud are also covered. Part 5. Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications provides information about what medications do and how to use them safely. It discusses purchasing and using prescription, generic, and over-the-counter drugs. Details on purchasing prescription drugs online, adverse drug reactions, common drug interactions, counterfeit and misused drugs, and imported drugs and safety concerns are also provided. Part 6. Managing Chronic Disease offers guidelines for self-management practices such as healthy eating plans, physical activity, and relaxation techniques. Along with tips for dealing with pain, stress, and depression, it provides information about infection prevention, assistive technology, and preventive care. The part concludes with palliative and hospice care options for individuals with chronic diseases. Part 7. Legal, Financial, and Insurance Aspects of Disease Management includes information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and health-care benefit laws. It describes advance directives and explains how to access free or reduced-cost health care. It also includes information on health insurance and provides guidelines for paying complementary health approaches, preventive services and home health care. In addition, it discusses topics such as health savings accounts, medical discount plans, and the insurance claim process. Part 8. Additional Help and Information highlights on understanding medical specialties, includes a glossary of related terms and directories of resources for information about disease management, health insurance, and financial assistance for medical treatments.
