Bücher der Reihe Springer Series in Rehabilitation and Health

TItis volume is the first effort to compile representative work in the emerging research area on the relationship of disability and physical environment since Barrier-Free Environments, edited by Michael Bednar, was published in 1977.

TItis volume is the first effort to compile representative work in the emerging research area on the relationship of disability and physical environment since Barrier-Free Environments, edited by Michael Bednar, was published in 1977.

This book is an extension of my 1992 book entitled The Social Context of Chronic Pain Sufferers. Many ideas nominally explored there are elaborated in this volume, which is an attempt to fill a major gap in the chronic pain literature. Although there has been a virtual flood of new works on the medical and psychological aspects of chronic pain, such enthusiasm is somewhat muted in relation to the social environment of the patient. Although there is universal recognitionamongpain expertsthat biological, psychological,and socialfactors influence the experience ofpain, the social component (forreasons that are - clear) has failed to attract much attention. Theneed forabook focusedonsocialrelationsisobvious.Thepatientisnot merelyacarrierof symptoms.Thereis alargesocialrealityinthe background of each patient; that reality can have multidimensional consequences, from the way pain is perceivedto seriousfinancialhardshipand other sourcesof stress, c- plicating treatment, management, and, ultimately, the prognosis. Clinicians rec- nize the value of incorporating the social dimension in the overall evaluation and treatment of the patient. This book attempts to accomplish that task. In order to achieve that objective, this volume addresses many important e- ments inthepatient¿ssocial environment¿the mostsignificantbeingthefamily. Beyond the family, for a vast majority of patients, work represents a major source of economic security and self-esteem. Job loss, common in this population and a major cause of much personal and family distress, needs critical examination.

Disseminates practical information relevant to the changes in health care practice and addresses logistical issues vital to the future of the industry. This work offers insights into topics such as how to better market health care services, and how to utilize technological advances to enhance the efficiency of clinical practice.

Health workers who provide services to persons with severe mental illness are frequently under enormous stress; The book provides rehabilitation and mental health professionals with a strategy to help them and their colleagues work as a well-integrated team.

Considerable evidence indicates that alterations in pain perception are characteristic of many clinical pain states. This book examines these pathological alterations in the pain-signaling system, focusing on the functioning of the pain processing system under normal and pathological conditions.

Experts from academia, clinical settings, and the business world pool their knowledge about work injury prevention and management in the new Sourcebook of Occupational Rehabilitation. The text takes a multidisciplinary viewpoint toward its subject in order to shed light on the mechanisms and management of work-related disorders.

This volume addresses the promise and challenges of employment, service roles and contexts in rehabilitation and mental health practice, developing readiness for employment, sustaining employment, and responding to the needs of people coping with a range of disabilities.

Health workers who provide services to persons with severe mental illness are frequently under enormous stress; The book provides rehabilitation and mental health professionals with a strategy to help them and their colleagues work as a well-integrated team.

Experts from academia, clinical settings, and the business world pool their knowledge about work injury prevention and management in the new Sourcebook of Occupational Rehabilitation. The text takes a multidisciplinary viewpoint toward its subject in order to shed light on the mechanisms and management of work-related disorders.