Open Educational Resources (OER) for Medicine and Health Sciences

available in: multiple formats
licensed under: CC-BY creative commons license

This open educational resource (OER) was developed to ensure best practice and quality care based on the latest evidence, and to address inconsistencies in how clinical health care skills are taught and practised in the clinical setting. The checklist approach, used in this textbook, aims to provide standardized processes for clinical skills and to help nursing schools and clinical practice partners keep procedural practice current. Each skill/procedure is covered in a chapter that has learning objectives, a brief overview of the relevant theory, checklists of steps for procedures with the rationale behind each step of the process, and a summary of key takeaways. Key terms are set in bold throughout the book and laid out again in a Glossary in the appendix. All 88 checklists are also summarized, and hyperlinked to the original checklist, in the appendix.

available in multiple formats
licensed under: CC-BY-NC-SA

"The purpose of this textbook is to provide an indepth look at death and dying in this country, including the vital role of the nurse in assisting patients and families along the journey towards the end of life. There is an emphasis throughout the book on the simple, yet understated value of effective interpersonal communication between the patient and clinician. The text provides a basic foundation of understanding death and dying, including a brief historical examination of some main conceptual models associated with how patients cope with impending loss. An overview of illness trajectories and models of care, such as hospice and palliative care are discussed. Lastly, the latest evidence-based approaches for pain and symptom management, ethical concerns, cultural considerations, care at the time of death, and grief/bereavement are examined. The goal of this text is to foster the necessary skills for nurses to provide compassionate care to individuals who are nearing the end of life and their families. Every chapter contains a “What You Should Know” section which highlights and reinforces foundational concepts."

available to complete online
licensed under the public domain

"As healthcare disparities among cultural minority groups persist in our country, culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) are increasingly recognized as an important strategy for improving quality of care to diverse populations. This e-learning program will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to provide the best care for all patients, regardless of cultural or linguistic background."

MERLOT gives this resource a 5-star peer review

available to use online
licensed under: CC-BY-NC-SA

"Introduces and examines the basic prinicples which guide growth and development and the health of individuals across the lifespan, from the prenatal period through senescence. Presents methodological, conceptual and substantive issues necessary for understanding and evaluating empirically based information about growth, development and health at different stages of life and from different academic perspectives. Course covers several themes, including contributions of biological and environmental factors to health and human development, measuring the health of individuals in communities, understanding determinants and consequences of health and development across the lifespan, measuring population health and assessing the implications of health disparities.

Course Objectives: After completing this course, students should be able to do the following:

-Identify an alternative approach to the health of populations other than the disease-based approach
-Discuss the value of integrating multiple perspectives to understanding human health, including the demographic, human development, lifespan, family, and community contexts
-Demonstrate how a longitudinal, lifespan approach provides an expanded understanding of the multiple determinants of health
-Identify the common models of behavior change used in public health at both the individual and the population levels
-Describe an integrated approach to understanding the health of populations in developing and developed countries"

available to view online
licensed under: CC-BY-NC-SA

"Teaches students to frame public health issues using a life course perspective. Introduces and examines basic principles of human development across the life span, from the prenatal period through senescence, and the idea that health outcomes reflect developmental processes. Provides a conceptual framework with which to understand the interrelationships among biological, psychological, and social factors and their influence on development and health. Also illustrates the application of this perspective to gain a critical understanding of public health issues."

available to view online
licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA

"This course will consider long-term service delivery programs designed to meet the special needs of seniors. It will review care and service systems from the unique perspective of an aging population, including the physiological and psychological changes common among seniors.

Students will become conversant with a conceptual framework for planning, organizing, and delivering services to the elderly, including the ability to define the major physical, mental and psychosocial changes and health problems that accompany aging and their applicability to program development. They will be able to describe the impact of demographics and the changing nature of family relationships on senior services delivery programs as well as to evaluate various models of service delivery, including their relevance to current economic, political and social conditions.

The course will also include an historical, philosophical and managerial overview of seniors housing and care, from congregate living to skilled nursing. The course will analyze the underpinnings of the profession, including the demographics of aging, the role of financing and the evolving marketplace. The course will include a focus on the role of health care delivery within seniors housing, with attention devoted to the determinants of quality care, various models of care, and the critical role of quality management. "

available to view online
licensed under: CC-BY-NC-SA

"Introduces the study of aging, its implications for individuals, families, and society, and the background for health policy related to older persons. Presents an overview on aging from different perspectives: demography, biology, epidemiology of diseases, physical and mental disorders, functional capacity and disability, health services, federal and state health policies, social aspects of aging, and ethical issues in the care of older individuals.

Course Learning Objectives: To introduce students to a range of health issues that older persons, their health providers, and society face in the next decade. These include the demographics and biology of aging, an understanding of the basic health and mental health issues, and policy decisions that state and federal government will need to solve related to these issues."