Child Health Services Research

Preface (Elisa J. Sobo and Paul S. Kurtin)
Post-preface Note (Blair L. Sadler)
Foreword (James Perrin)
Section 1 - Child Health Services: Setting an Accountability Agenda
1) An Introduction to Applied Child Health Services Research: Connecting Knowledge and Action, by Paul S. Kurtin
2) Laying the Foundation: Identifying Major Issues in Applied Child Health Services Research, by Pradeep Gidwani, Elisa J. Sobo, Michael Seid, and Paul S. Kurtin
Section 2 - Child Health in Context: Home, Neighborhood, Community, Culture
3) Prevention and healing in the Household: The Importance of Socio-Cultural Context, by Elisa J. Sobo
4) Documenting Child Health: The Community Indicators Movement, by Diana Simmes, Lillian Lim, and Kim Dennis
5) Partnering with the Community: Implementation, Evaluation, and Impact, by Kim Dennis and Diana Simmes
Section 3 - Child Health in Conventional Healthcare Settings: Improving Organizational Performance
6) Health Related Quality of Life, by Tara Knight, Tasha Burwinkle, and James Varni
7) Conceptual Models of Quality of Care and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) for Vulnerable Children, by Michael Seid, Elisa J. Sobo, Mirjana Zivkovic, Maryam Davodi-Far, and Melissa Nelson
8) Standardized Approaches to Clinical Care: Pathways and Disease Management, by Pat Richardson, Elisa J. Sobo, and Erin Stuckey
Section 4 - Child Health Outcomes: Broadening Applied Research's Reach
9) Translating Research into Practice: Planning Research to Inform Policy and Program Development, by Kim Dennis
10) Looking to the Future: The Need for Applied Child Health Services Research, by Paul S. Kurtin and Blair L. Sadler
Glossary
Contributors

"Research on the shelf helps no one until it moves off the shelf.
This book can help us all cross the bridge between science and
practice, in the service of the children who depend on us."

-- Donald M. Berwick, M.D., M.P.P., president and CEO,
Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Massachusetts

"For too long, health services research has ignored childrens
health care issues and has been too theoretical to be useful in
real-life settings. This book addresses both concerns, making
health services research both pragmatic and relevant to improving
outcomes for children and families."

-- Charles J. Homer, M.D., M.P.H., CEO, National Initiative
for Children's Healthcare Quality, Boston, Massachusetts

"This outstanding volume takes enormous strides forward in
showing how excellent social science and excellent medicine come
together for the betterment of children's health and well-being. A
must-read for professionals interested in how the socio-cultural
context and medicine come together in partnership."

-- Jill E. Korbin, Ph.D., professor of anthropology and
associate dean of arts and sciences, Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio; codirector, Schubert Center for Child
Development; and director, Childhood Studies Program

"This volume provides a unique and important contribution to the
developing field of child health services research. Its focus on
practical issues in a community context will be extremely useful to
both the novice and more experienced researchers."

-- Neal Halfon, M.D., M.P.H., professor of pediatrics and
public health, University of Southern California, and director of
the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and
Communities

Elisa J. Sobo, Ph.D., is a research scientist with the Center for
Child Health Outcomes and Trauma Services at Children's Hospital in
San Diego, and is an associate clinical professor in the Department
of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California,
San Diego's School of Medicine. Dr. Sobo has edited and authored
numerous books and articles regarding the socio-cultural context of
health, illness, and medicine.

Paul S. Kurtin, M.D., is a pediatric nephrologist. He is
vice-president for clinical innovations of the Center for Child
Health Outcomes at Children's Hospital in San Diego. Dr. Kurtin is
founding medical director of the Child Health Accountability
Initiative a collaborative of fifteen children's hospitals working
to define, measure, and improve health outcomes for hospitalized
children.

E. J. Sobo, Center for Child Health Outcomes; P. S. Kurtin, Center for Child Health Outcomes