Management books come and go. Different theories emerge, gain popularity, and then fade as they are replaced by alternative, emerging theories. The result is that textbooks on the subject of management become ever larger and more confusing. The third edition of Essentials of Public Health Management has decreased in length, but has maintained the same easy to understand text and as the previous editions. Despite being shorter, we have increased the content through revision and judicious pruning of material.
The third edition contains new material. New chapters have been devoted to leadership (Chapter 2), public health performance standards (Chapter 16), continuous quality improvement (Chapter 17), accreditation (Chapter 18), social media (Chapter 21), and starting a health board in the 21st century (Chapter 28). Additional material on public health law has been added (Chapter 27). All chapters have been revised to reflect current trends and developments in both public health and management.
Students, academics, practitioners, and other readers are all participants in the process of developing, presenting, sharing, and using the information contained in books. As is often the case, these participants have different agendas. Completeness is a virtue to some, but at the cost of increased length of text. Brevity is a virtue to others but at the cost of omitting some subtleties and minor points. Almost all participants agree that accessibility and utility of the information in any book is an important attribute.
Practitioners often point out that time constraints are a reality. These people may note that they once read entire textbooks but now require a briefer review of the essentials. Students often complain that teachers present too much information or that teachers cannot convey the information. The reality may lie in students’ lack of experience to guide them in prioritizing the knowledge that is provided in classes. Their lack of perspective or experience hampers them from being able to differentiate the essentials from other material to form a more useful picture. Teachers stress the essentials but frequently augment them with additional illustrative material. The third edition of Essentials of Public Health Management continues to address these concerns.
The key word in the previous paragraphs is essentials. This was a guiding principle and foundation during the development of all three editions of this book. The senior author had previous experience teaching principles of management to resident physicians in occupational medicine. Both authors have real-world experience in situations requiring managerial expertise. In discussing this third edition, both agreed that their vision and approach to teaching principles of management in public heath is sound and continues to gain acceptance
The perspectives of practitioners and experts are frequently evident in presentations at professional meetings. Common venues are sessions devoted to best practices. Deciding to ask practitioners and experts to contribute chapters was another desired element of the final product.
This book is written by teachers, practitioners and content experts for students, practitioners and others interested in the operation and administration of public health agencies and organizations. While the chapter topics discuss theoretical models, they are focused on day-to-day responsibilities and realities. Supplemental resources are provided at the conclusion of each chapter. Here, relevant books and journal articles are listed as well as information on Internet Web sites. Contact information for organizations that are relevant to the topics of this book can be found in the Appendix at the conclusion of the volume.
People often enter their professions with highly developed technical skills. This is the case in medicine as well as public and environmental health. As people achieve success, they are promoted, often into positions of leadership. In short, they assume managerial responsibilities. Frequently, these talented people lack formal training in management. Designing a vehicle that addresses such a need has been an ongoing goal of this project.
Case studies enable readers to focus on a topic as well as provide a context for discussion. Each chapter opens with a case study. Questions for reflection are posed. The case studies are resolved at the conclusion of each chapter. The material presented within the chapter provides the basis for the suggested resolution to the case study. Case studies have been a standard item in the curriculum of business programs for many years. Students have endorsed case studies in written comments about their courses. All of the case studies in this edition contain new material.
A potential problem with contributed volumes is variation in the vocabulary and style of writing. The authors resolved to address and minimize or eliminate this problem in the book. The senior author has written a weekly newspaper column for the past 14 years, while the other author edits and approves public health operational documents on a daily basis. That experience has taught the importance of clearly communicating to a large audience having a variety of backgrounds and levels of education. Every chapter has been edited for consistency of grammar and presentation. The ideas and concepts of chapter contributors remain. If we have done our jobs well, the book reads as if a single person wrote it.
We want to thank all of the excellent people who have contributed chapters in this and the two previous editions. Their names and positions are listed elsewhere. Without their dedication and effort, there would be no reason for writing a preface. We wish to thank the fine professionals at Jones and Bartlett. Mike Brown has been a supporter of this project as well as our past editions. For that we thank him. We want to acknowledge Katey Birtcher for her attention to detail and her rapid responses to our questions during this project.
We accept responsibility for errors that have eluded the sharp eyes of many reviewers. We also look forward to receiving any comments or suggestions about this book to improve future editions. We can be contacted at 234 Health Center, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403. May the book be a useful tool for all readers.
L. Fleming Fallon Jr.
Eric J. Zgodzinski
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Dr. Richard Carmona is the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona, Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch, and President of the non-profit Canyon Ranch Institute. He understands the importance of health literacy from a lifetime of personal and professional experiences.
Helen Osborne, MEd, OTR/L is the author of Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message. The Second Edition of this text is publishing November 2011. Preorder your copy today!
