This salient reference grounds readers in the theoretical basis and
day-to-day practice of community-based health care programs, and their
potential as a transformative force in public health. Centering around
concepts of self-determination, empowerment, and inclusiveness, the book
details the roles of physicians, research, and residents in the
transition to self-directed initiatives and greater community control.
Community-focused interventions and methods, starting with genuine
dialogue between practitioners and residents, are discussed as keys to
understanding local voice and worldview, and recognizing residents as
active participants and not simply targets of service delivery. And
coverage pays careful attention to training issues, including how
clinicians can become involved in community-based care without
neglecting individual patient needs.
Among the topics covered are:
- Narrative medicine in the context of community-based practice.
- Qualitative and participatory action research.
- Health committees as a community-based strategy.
- Dialogue, world entry, and community-based intervention.
- Politics of knowledge in community-based work.
- Training physicians with communities.
Dimensions of Community-Based Projects in Health Care challenges
sociologists, social workers, and public health administrators to look
beyond traditional biomedical concepts of care and naturalistic methods
of research, and toward more democratic programs, planning, and policy.
The partnerships described in these pages reflect a deep commitment to
patients' lives, and to the future of public health.p>
