Title:	In Sickness and In Health
Authors:	Richard K. Thomas David A. Swanson
Keywords:	In Health
Issue Date:	2016
Publisher:	Springer
Description:	The study of morbidity has become a growing focus of demographers for a number of reasons. These include the growing emphasis on population health, the declining signifi cance of mortality, and the shift from an emphasis on acute conditions to chronic conditions, among other developments. The interest in morbidity on the part of demographers, epidemiologists, health planners, and medical scientists steadily increased over the last quarter of the twentieth century as the connection between demographic variables and morbidity differentials became clearer. Although perhaps still lagging behind more traditional spheres of demographic inquiry, the literature available on morbidity has grown and fi ndings from research in this fi eld are driving much of the current thought in healthcare. It is increasingly understood that many advances in our understanding and management of the contemporary health problems refl ect a better understanding of the demographic dimensions of morbidity. This interest in morbidity has developed against a backdrop of increasing demand for health-related data of all types. A diverse set of entities that historically had little interest in or need for health-related data now realize that effi cient data gathering and analysis are necessary for carrying out their respective functions. Today’s healthcare environment is demanding improvements in the quality, quantity, and specifi city of the data used for research, marketing, planning, and business development. Epidemiologists have expanded our understanding of the relationship between disease incidence and demographic factors. Indeed, the persistent health disparities correlated with demographic attributes have become a major focus of research. Population scientists have increasingly recognized the importance of the study of morbidity rather than mortality as a measure of the health of society. Policy makers grappling with societal-level issues like Medicare’s future viability or simply addressing basic healthcare needs at the local level are increasingly relying on morbidity data as a basis for decision making. Healthcare organizations striving to adapt to a rapidly changing environment must understand trends in morbidity for purposes of survival. The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010 served to further underscore the importance of such information.
URI:	http://10.6.20.12:80/handle/123456789/54182
ISBN:	978-1-4939-3423-2
Appears in Collections:	Population Studies

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