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Key Features of the book:

Medicine is a multidisciplinary field where one subject complements the other and adds its own knowledge base and perspective to improve patient care. Community medicine aims to provide a promotive and preventive perspective to predominantly curative subjects like Medicine, OBG, and Pediatrics.

This book is an attempt to integrate (horizontal + vertical) the learning of most commonly encountered public health problems. Thus providing a one stop solution for bedside case discussions and integrated small group discussions.

• Focuses on concept-based learning by helping the students understand the relevance of each segment in case taking and its role in disease management. 
• Enlightens the role of culture, socioeconomic stratification, and healthcare delivery system in protecting and restoring the health of citizens, promoting “social physicians”.
• National health programs are incorporated in a realistic, easily comprehensible, and integrated manner to facilitate students to decipher how they work at ground level for disease control.
• Promotes compassion and empathy in students by reorienting their perspective of a patient not only as a diseased organ system but as a person with emotions, social and financial obligations, and constraints.
• Contributes to the improvement of quality of healthcare by motivating future doctors to give appropriate health education and advocate sustainable changes in life that promote health.

Preface of the book:

“He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has been given much good.”

We are pleased to bring forth this book “A practical manual for clinico-social cases”. This book has been conceived following the obser­vation that students were finding it hard to understand the relevance of social customs and environment on health. Furthermore, there was a need to understand the national health programs and present them in a more operational manner.

The book begins with some fundamental concepts which are important considerations in any type of patient care in order to promote health in the true sense. It is resonant with the WHO definition of health i.e., complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of diseases.

In order to promote critical thinking and problem solving within existing limitations and opportunities, clinical vignettes, simu­lating real-life scenarios have been given.

Each disease is unique and has some specific aspects to be given special emphasis. This book offers a comprehensive clinico-social format which has been tailor-made for individual cases. This greatly simplifies the process of case taking and guides the student about the important aspects which have to be given due consideration during case presentations.

Each case presentation format is followed by an integrated and holistic discussion of frequently asked questions. The discussion provides the students with complete and interdisciplinary knowledge of the topic. Special emphasis has been given to nutritional mod­ifications, healthcare continuum through government facilities, and relevant national programmes so that patients and communities can benefit in a most feasible manner.

Clinico-social cases help to train the students in identifying health damaging and protecting factors. This requires an in-depth understanding of patients’ values, beliefs, culture, habits, motivating, and demoralizing factors. All health practitioners’ must attempt to address the patients’ barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle within their economic and socio-cultural constraints.

While delivering patient care, doctors are frequently posed with queries about any dietary changes required, the impact of disease on living and working capacities and correct use or administration of medications (e.g., use of insulin and syringes), and any side effects to be cautious about. The book aims to educate the health care providers about such practical problems and their remedies so as to improve doctor-patient relationship and trust.

I hope, this book will be useful in deciphering the relevance of social, cultural, economic, and healthcare utilization, related factors in the clinical management of the diseases, with a better understanding of Community Medicine. As we all work together to upgrade our healthcare system from a curative to health promotive one.