Emerging Values in Health Care: The Challenge for Professionals

Description

Professional values in the health care professions are in a state of constant, and increasingly rapid, change. If professionals are to work together in teams, it is vital that they understand the identities and values of their colleagues. This multi-authored, interdisciplinary volume charts how health care professional values have changed over the last forty years, and will help health care professionals understand where they have come from, where they are now, and where they might aspire to venture in the future. It examines how different health care groups and associations are responding to changing values, and outlines the practical implications for a variety of health care professions and professionals. The authors also look at what can be learnt about the changing nature of health care institutions, practices and professionas by examining changing values, and discuss how changing organisational and professional values, and the tensions therein, manifest in specific professional contexts. Each chapter is followed by a critical response from a senior health care professional. This book provides original insights into the current state of professional values and identities in health care, and the factors that challenge and constrain them. It will be a valuable resource for health care practitioners and deliverers, educators, trainers, professional bodies and anyone else concerned with the history, nature, significance and functions of professional values in health care.