Byrd WM, Clayton LA
New York, New York, USA: Routledge; 2000

A seminal two-volume study of the impact of racism on medicine and public health in the United States over the past 400 years. Indispensable reading for understanding the root causes (both historical and contemporary) of health disparities experienced by many African American communities.

Gamble V. Under the shadow of Tuskegee: African-Americans and health care. American Journal of Public Health. 1997;87(11):1773-1778.

This influential article examines the continuing legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis study and reviews the historical context for the distrust that many African Americans continue to have for medical and public health institutions. This mistrust pre-dates the Tuskegee study, and attitudes have been shaped by a variety of societal influences.

Jones CP. Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener's Tale. American Journal of Public Health. 2000;90(8):1212-1215.

This important article proposes that we need to understand and study racism on 3 levels - institutionalized, personally mediated, and internalized. This framework can help generate new hypotheses about the causes of race-related differences in health outcomes, as well as suggest approaches for developing effective interventions to eliminate those differences.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. IHI Innovation Series white paper. Move Your Dot™: Measuring, Evaluating, and Reducing Hospital Mortality Rates. Boston, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2003.

IHI Innovation Series white paper

In an effort to help hospitals know more about their organizational performance as it relates to mortality, and to reduce hospital deaths, a new statistical methodology has been developed as well as a simple analytical tool.

Full text available! Click view white paper below.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. IHI Innovation Series white paper. The Breakthrough Series: IHI's Collaborative Model for Achieving Breakthrough Improvement. Boston, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2003.

IHI Innovation Series white paper

Based on a collaborative approach, the Breakthrough Series model is reaping results worldwide as organizations use it to improve how they deliver care to patients.

Full text available! Click view white paper below.

Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine
Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press; 2001

This report from the Institute of Medicine focuses on closing the quality gap between what we know to be good health care and the health care that people actually receive. The report recommends a redesign of the American health care system by providing six "Aims for Improvement": Safety, Effectiveness, Patient-Centeredness, Timeliness, Efficiency, Equity. These principles set forth a specific direction for policymakers, health care leaders, clinicians, regulators, purchasers, and others to improve the US health care system.

Reinertsen J. A Theory of Leadership for the Transformation for Health Care Organizations. The Reinertsen Group. May 2003. (Unpublished manuscript, revised January 2004.)

This paper proposes a conceptual framework for how to lead the quality transformation of health care organizations.  It is useful for senior leaders as they develop and implement their next steps in an ongoing transformational agenda.  It is also useful as a template for assessment of any one organization's progress in this difficult long-term task.

Full Text Available! Click View Article below.

Institute of Medicine Committee on the Work Environment for Nurses and Patient Safety
Washington, DC, USA: The National Academies Press; 2003

The Institute of Medicine's report on the nursing environment in the United States, released in November 2003.  The report outlines the complex issues facing nursing today.

Von Roenn JH, Cleeland CS, Gonin R et al. Physician attitudes and practices in cancer pain managment: A survey from the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1993;119(2):121-126.

This article describes the survey of physician attitudes and practices that relate to the managment of pain for cancer patients.

Cassel CK, Omenn GS. Dimensions of care of the dying patient. Western Journal of Medicine. 1995;163(3):224-225.

This article presents multiple dimensions of care for patients nearing end of life.