Health Disparities in Respiratory Medicine

This book discusses health disparities in respiratory medicine and suggests methods to reduce them. In the United States, health disparities are well documented in the care of patients with respiratory disorders, particularly among minorities who often have higher rates of disease and poorer health outcomes. Similarly, differences in health and health outcomes exist between differing socioeconomic groups, with lower income groups generally having poorer health and higher rates of chronic illness. Health Disparities in Respiratory Medicine investigates these differing outcomes through the complex connections between access and quality of treatment available to these groups. Chapters are organized around either causes, diseases, or types of care, including tobacco smoke exposure, environmental air quality, acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and end-of-life care. This volume is an ideal resource for pulmonologists, health care administrators, and policy makers who aim to understand disparities in respiratory medicine and take steps to improve the differences among groups.

Dr. Gerald is the Canyon Ranch Endowed Chair, Professor in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences and Associate Dean of Research in College of Public Health, at the University of Arizona and a member of the Arizona Respiratory Center. She is a nationally known expert in the area of school based asthma including implementation of asthma management programs, school based asthma case detection, and internet based asthma monitoring. She also has extensive experience in the areas of clinical, behavioral and epidemiological research in asthma, COPD, and tuberculosis. Dr. Gerald is actively involved in professional and community education related to asthma and has served on many national and local boards including the American Thoracic Society Board of Directors and the American Lung Association of Southern Arizona Board of Directors. She currently serves as PI of the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Center at the University of Arizona. Dr. Gerald has also served on many thesis and dissertation committees and mentored many graduate students, fellows, and junior faculty in the development of research programs.

Introduction to Health Disparities in Respiratory Medicine.- Health Disparities in Tobacco Smoking and Smoke Exposure.- Health Disparities Related to Environmental Air Quality.- Health Disparities in Occupational Exposures.- Health Disparities and Pulmonary Function Testing.- Health Disparities as They Relate to Medication Adherence.- Health Disparities in Ards.- Social Disparities in Lung Growth and Respiratory Health.- Health Disparities in Asthma.- Health Disparities in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.- Health Disparities and Tuberculosis.- Disparities in Lung Cancer Outcomes.- Health Disparities in Critical Illness.- Health Disparities in Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders.- Health Disparities in End-of-Life Care.- Where Do We Go From Here? Improving Disparities in Respiratory Health.