Good Intentions in Global Health

Good Intentions in Global Health PDF Author: Nicole S. Berry
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479825409
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Explores informal global health action and the importance of intentions of those who volunteer In the past two decades, medical missions have gained popularity among medical professionals, who view these excursions as important ethical interventions. Indeed, the notion of giving back by volunteering in rural or impoverished communities is celebrated as an ideal act of selflessness, one whose effects are unquestionably beneficial to those being served. Good Intentions in Global Health is a groundbreaking exploration of the growing realm of informal global health engagement, shedding light on the intricate interplay between intentions, emotions, and ethical considerations. Drawing on fieldwork in Guatemala, Nicole S. Berry investigates those who volunteer for short-term medical missions, revealing how the intent to do good shapes their everyday understandings of their own actions taken in the global health domain. Berry uncovers how the glorification of medical missions can obscure problems that stem from North American clinicians doctoring in places where they typically do not understand the context. The short-term nature of missions also means that volunteers are not privy to the long-term effects of their actions—the potential harms that may arise from a lack of sustained follow-up care or the utter absence of documentation that they were even there. By relying on gut instincts to reassure themselves that they are doing good, volunteers often bypass a comprehensive assessment of the ethical dimensions underlying their global health work. Good Intentions in Global Health shows why desires and emotions are increasingly important to contemporary global health. She makes the case that we must pay attention to volunteers’ perceptions of their work, however wrongheaded or naïve, in order to truly influence global health on the ground.

Good Intentions in Global Health

Good Intentions in Global Health PDF Author: Nicole S. Berry
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479825409
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Get Book Here

Book Description
Explores informal global health action and the importance of intentions of those who volunteer In the past two decades, medical missions have gained popularity among medical professionals, who view these excursions as important ethical interventions. Indeed, the notion of giving back by volunteering in rural or impoverished communities is celebrated as an ideal act of selflessness, one whose effects are unquestionably beneficial to those being served. Good Intentions in Global Health is a groundbreaking exploration of the growing realm of informal global health engagement, shedding light on the intricate interplay between intentions, emotions, and ethical considerations. Drawing on fieldwork in Guatemala, Nicole S. Berry investigates those who volunteer for short-term medical missions, revealing how the intent to do good shapes their everyday understandings of their own actions taken in the global health domain. Berry uncovers how the glorification of medical missions can obscure problems that stem from North American clinicians doctoring in places where they typically do not understand the context. The short-term nature of missions also means that volunteers are not privy to the long-term effects of their actions—the potential harms that may arise from a lack of sustained follow-up care or the utter absence of documentation that they were even there. By relying on gut instincts to reassure themselves that they are doing good, volunteers often bypass a comprehensive assessment of the ethical dimensions underlying their global health work. Good Intentions in Global Health shows why desires and emotions are increasingly important to contemporary global health. She makes the case that we must pay attention to volunteers’ perceptions of their work, however wrongheaded or naïve, in order to truly influence global health on the ground.

Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes

Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes PDF Author: Santiago Levy
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0815701632
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 377

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Book Description
Despite various reform efforts, Mexico has experienced economic stability but little growth. Today more than half of all Mexican workers are employed informally, and one out of every four is poor. Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes argues that incoherent social programs significantly contribute to this state of affairs and it suggests reforms to improve the situation. Over the past decade, Mexico has channeled an increasing number of resources into subsidizing the creation of low-productivity, informal jobs. These social programs have hampered growth, fostered illegality, and provided erratic protection to workers, trapping many in poverty. Informality has boxed Mexico into a dilemma: provide benefits to informal workers at the expense of lower growth and reduced productivity or leave millions of workers without benefits. Former finance official Santiago Levy proposes how to convert the existing system of social security for formal workers into universal social entitlements. He advocates eliminating wage-based social security contributions and raising consumption taxes on higher-income households to simultaneously increase the rate of growth of GDP, reduce inequality, and improve benefits for workers. Go od Intentions, Bad Outcomes considers whether Mexico can build on the success of Progresa-Oportunidades, a targeted poverty alleviation program that originated in Mexico and has been replicated in over 25 countries as well as in New York City. It sets forth a plan to reform social and economic policy, an essential element of a more equitable and sustainable development strategy for Mexico.

Global Health Watch 5

Global Health Watch 5 PDF Author: People's Health Movement
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
ISBN: 1786992264
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
For over a decade, Global Health Watch has been the definitive source for alternative analysis on health. This new edition addresses the key challenges facing governments and health practitioners today, within the context of rapid shifts in global governance mechanisms and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Like its predecessors, it challenges conventional wisdom while pioneering innovative new approaches to the field. Collaboratively written by academics and activists drawn from a variety of movements, research institutions and civil society groups, it covers some of the most pressing issues in world health, from the resurgence of epidemic diseases such as Ebola to the crisis in the WHO, climate change and the ‘war on drugs’. Combining rigorous analysis with practical policy suggestions, Global Health Watch 5 offers an accessible and compelling case for a radical new approach to health and healthcare across the world.

Metrics

Metrics PDF Author: Vincanne Adams
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 082237448X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This volume's contributors evaluate the accomplishments, limits, and consequences of using quantitative metrics in global health. Whether analyzing maternal mortality rates, the relationships between political goals and metrics data, or the links between health outcomes and a program's fiscal support, the contributors question the ability of metrics to solve global health problems. They capture a moment when global health scholars and practitioners must evaluate the potential effectiveness and pitfalls of different metrics—even as they remain elusive and problematic. Contributors. Vincanne Adams, Susan Erikson, Molly Hales, Pierre Minn, Adeola Oni-Orisan, Carolyn Smith-Morris, Marlee Tichenor, Lily Walkover, Claire L. Wendland

Hoping to Help

Hoping to Help PDF Author: Judith N. Lasker
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501703846
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Overseas volunteering has exploded in numbers and interest in the last couple of decades. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people travel from wealthier to poorer countries to participate in short-term volunteer programs focused on health services. Churches, universities, nonprofit service organizations, profit-making "voluntourism" companies, hospitals, and large corporations all sponsor brief missions. Hoping to Help is the first book to offer a comprehensive assessment of global health volunteering, based on research into how it currently operates, its benefits and drawbacks, and how it might be organized to contribute most effectively. Given the enormous human and economic investment in these activities, it is essential to know more about them and to understand the advantages and disadvantages for host communities. Most people assume that poor communities benefit from the goodwill and skills of the volunteers. Volunteer trips are widely advertised as a means to "give back" and "make a difference." In contrast, some claim that health volunteering is a new form of colonialism, designed to benefit the volunteers more than the host communities. Others focus on unethical practices and potential harm to the presumed "beneficiaries." Judith N. Lasker evaluates these opposing positions and relies on extensive research—interviews with host country staff members, sponsor organization leaders, and volunteers, a national survey of sponsors, and participant observation—to identify best and worst practices. She adds to the debate a focus on the benefits to the sponsoring organizations, benefits that can contribute to practices that are inconsistent with what host country staff identify as most likely to be useful for them and even with what may enhance the experience for volunteers. Hoping to Help illuminates the activities and goals of sponsoring organizations and compares dominant practices to the preferences of host country staff and to nine principles for most effective volunteer trips.

Communities in Action

Communities in Action PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309452961
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 583

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Book Description
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Global Health Nursing

Global Health Nursing PDF Author: Michele Jean Upvall
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826118682
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Print+CourseSmart

Global Health Nursing

Global Health Nursing PDF Author: Michele J. Upvall, PhD, RN, CRNP
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826118690
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
"Primarily, the book covers different global health partnerships and initiatives, focusing on what works/what doesn't work and providing guidance for future partnerships. This is ideal for readers who focus their work in this area."--Doody's Medical Reviews This innovative text for graduate and undergraduate nursing students fills a void in global health nursing literature by providing essential tools and strategies for building and sustaining productive international partnerships. Based on the premise that partnership is paramount for sustainable outcomes, the book demonstrates how nurses can build sustainable health programs that will improve health outcomes worldwide. Written by two highly experienced global nurses, the book offers expert guidance gained from many years of successful involvement in international collaboration that is supported by detailed real-life examples. It will be of particular interest to nurse educators who undertake projects with their students to ensure that both students and host partners are able to meet their collaborative goals. Additionally, the text provides information that will help nurse educators to perpetuate a successful educational program even after they depart or funding ends. Case studies from many different perspectives demonstrate positive change effected by nurses working across international boundaries and within their own countries. The text builds on the Conceptual Framework for Partnership and Sustainability in Global Health Nursing developed by Leffers and Mitchell (2010). Additionally, the book reflects the focus on global health competence for nurses in the future (IOM, 2011) as well as that of the American Academyís of Nursingís recently established committee on Global Health. Key Features: Provides expert, essential guidance for nurses who work internationally to build successful partnerships for sustainable programs Recommends global solutions to the challenges facing international nursing collaboration Includes detailed case studies of successful collaboration Based on the Conceptual Framework for Partnership and Sustainability in Global Health Nursing Chapters end with reflective questions challenging the reader to apply ìlessons learned.î

The Hell of Good Intentions

The Hell of Good Intentions PDF Author: Stephen M. Walt
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 0374712468
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
A provocative analysis of recent American foreign policy and why it has been plagued by disasters like the “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead of a long hoped-for era of peace and prosperity, relations with Russia and China have soured, the European Union is wobbling, nationalism and populism are on the rise, and the United States is stuck in costly and pointless wars that have squandered trillions of dollars and undermined its influence around the world. The root of this dismal record, Walt argues, is the American foreign policy establishment’s stubborn commitment to a strategy of “liberal hegemony.” Since the end of the Cold War, Republicans and Democrats alike have tried to use US power to spread democracy, open markets, and other liberal values into every nook and cranny of the planet. This strategy was doomed to fail, but its proponents in the foreign policy elite were never held accountable and kept repeating the same mistakes. Donald Trump’s erratic and impulsive style of governing, combined with a deeply flawed understanding of world politics, made a bad situation worse. The best alternative, Walt argues, is a return to the realist strategy of “offshore balancing,” which eschews regime change, nation-building, and other forms of global social engineering. The American people would surely welcome a more restrained foreign policy, one that allowed greater attention to problems here at home. Clear-eyed, candid, and elegantly written, Stephen M. Walt’s The Hell of Good Intentions offers both a compelling diagnosis of America’s recent foreign policy follies and a proven formula for renewed success. “Thought-provoking . . . This excellent analysis is cogent, accessible, and well-argued.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Ethics for Global Mental Health

Ethics for Global Mental Health PDF Author: Elena Cherepanov
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351175726
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
Ethics for Global Mental Health examines the limitations of current normative approaches to global mental health (GMH) work and argues for a values-based framework that prioritizes accountability and contextual relevance of humanitarian and profession-specific values. It cautions against using aspirational ideals as operational guidance. Chapters are organized around challenges arising in humanitarian research, disaster relief, post-conflict recovery, fieldwork, and refugee resettlement and are designed to equip readers with strategies for resolving professional dilemmas and negotiating conflicting priorities. Also included is a sample training curriculum as well as case studies and exercises that help professionals address countertransference and burnout, and recognize ethically questionable practices such as trauma tourism, rescuer fantasy, or savior complex.