Stafford Library: Healthcare Management Resource Guide: Find Background Information

Why Use Reference Materials?

Reference Materials such as dictionaries and encyclopedias are useful:

to look up quick facts and definitions.
to provide a quick overview of a topic.
to develop vocabulary or keywords for searching.
to find suggestions of additional sources.

Selected Electronic Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Other Reference Materials

The books below are a sampling of the reference titles available to you in the library's databases provided on this page. Search these databases for additional electronic reference books.

Encyclopedia of Health Care Management by Michael J. Stahl (Editor)
Call Number: Sage Publications
ISBN: 9781452265247
Publication Date: 2004
Encyclopedia of Management by Gale (Firm) Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: Gale Virtual Reference Library
ISBN: 9781414464336
Publication Date: 2012
To access, click on the title link above. When the catalog record appears, click on the blue link, "A Columbia College electronic book: click to access."
Key Concepts in Health Studies by Chris Yuill, Iain Crinson, and Eilidh Duncan
Call Number: Sage Publications
ISBN: 9781784028558
Publication Date: 2010
Key Concepts in Public Health by Andi Mabhala (Editor); Frances Wilson (Editor)
Call Number: Credo Reference
ISBN: 1412948800
Publication Date: 2011 (ebook); 2009 (print)
Nursing Leadership: A Concise Encyclopedia by Harriet R. Feldman
Call Number: Credo Reference
ISBN: 9780826103673
Publication Date: 2011

Health Care Industries

The books below contain information on health care industries.

Encyclopedia of American Industries by Gale Cengage Learning (Editor)
Call Number: Gale Virtual Reference Library
ISBN: 9781410363251
Publication Date: 2018
Volume 3 of this 7th ed. contains the industries associated with Health Care.
Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries by Gale Cengage Learning (Editor)
Call Number: Gale Virtual Reference Library
ISBN: 9781410363237
Publication Date: 2017
7th edition
Encyclopedia of Global Industries by Gale Cengage Learning (Editor)
Call Number: Gale Virtual Reference Library
ISBN: 9781410363213
Publication Date: 2017
6th edition.
The healthcare industries are in the "Medical Equipment and Services" section.

Primary Sources

One source in which to find pimary sources related to healthcare (and other topics) is the electronic reference book below. The materials are from each decade of the 20th century and are introduced with text giving background and significance information related to the documents. The book also includes chronologies for each of these decades.

American Decades Primary Sources by Rose, Cynthia
Call Number: R 973.91 Am35g 2004 v-1-10
ISBN: 0787665878
Publication Date: 2004

Selected Reference Databases

You will find these databases useful for finding facts, definitions, and topic overviews.

Credo Reference
Credo Reference provides access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books. Subjects covered include art, biography, history, literature, music, religion, and science and technology.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
GVRL is a database of scholarly multidisciplinary encyclopedias and specialized reference sources. A multitude of topic areas are covered, including: business, history, law, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, philosophy, religion, social science, and technology
Salem Health
Salem Health is a category in the Salem Press database that provides a variety of health e-books.

Health Care

Credo Topic Page on Health Care
From the Credo Reference database, this page contains an encyclopedia article on health care and links to other reference book entries on the topic. Additionally, it has links to other health care books and videos as well as to other Credo Topic Pages for subjects related to health care. Definitions of, and images associated with, health care are also here.
National Health Care
From the "Gale Encyclopedia of American Law" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database, this essay provides an overview of the history, costs, and reforms of the United States healthcare system.
Health Care
This essay is from the "Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.

As the headings of the essay indicate, this essay is about:
1) History and Background of the U.S. Health Care System
2) Push for Health Insurance from the 1920s to 1965
3) Medicare, Medicaid, and Health Insurance for the Rest of the Population
4) Recent Expansions of Publicly Funded Insurance: SCHIP and Changes in Medicare
5) The Need for Health Insurance Coverage and Obama Reforms
6) Continuing Concerns and Unresolved Issues

There is also a sidebar essay on health care costs.
Comparative Health-Care Systems
From the "Encyclopedia of Sociology" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database, the first part of this essay discusses points to consider when describing, comparing, and analyzing nations' healthcare systems. The second part provides information about several countries' healthcare systems.

Health Insurance

Below are some essays on health insurance that are from the electronic reference databases listed above. Explore these databases to see what else you can find about health insurance.

Credo Topic Page on Health Insurance
From the Credo Reference database, this page contains an encyclopedia article on health insurance and links to other reference book entries on the topic. Additionally, it has links to other health insurance books and videos as well as to other Credo Topic Pages for subjects related to health insurance. Definitions of, and images associated with, health insurance are also here.
Credo Topic Page on Medicare
From the Credo Reference database, this page contains an encyclopedia article on Medicare and links to other reference book entries on the topic. Additionally, it has links to other Medicare books and videos as well as to other Credo Topic Pages for subjects related to Medicare. Definitions of, and images associated with, Medicare are also here.
Health Care Insurance
From "Market Share Reporter" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Health Insurance Essay
From the "Gale Encyclopedia of American Law" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Health Insurance Options
From the "Encyclopedia of Small Business" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Health Maintenance Organizations and Preferred Provider Organizations
From the "Encyclopedia of Small Business" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Managed Care
From the "Gale Encyclopedia of American Law" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Medicaid
From the "Gale Encyclopedia of American Law" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.
Medicare
From the "Gale Encyclopedia of American Law" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.

Health Care Law

The essays below are from the "Gale Encyclopedia of American Law" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library database.

Health Care Law
Medical Malpractice
Patients' Rights
Physicians and Surgeons
This essay discusses legal aspects of being a doctor.