Health Services Administration Research Guide
Contents:- Introduction
- Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Finding books
- Finding articles
- Statistics
- Handbooks and Directories
- Other web resources
Introduction
The literature of health services administration is divided up primarily between books and journals. Theses and dissertations often present an in-depth study of a specific issue related to health services administration, e.g. the need for a more educated workforce. Encyclopedias and handbooks provide general background information on a specific topic and may be consulted when trying to determine a specific research topic. The journal literature reports on current research in the field. Finally, local, state, and federal agencies carry out the duties of the many services required to keep the population healthy, and their web pages provide a wealth of information.This subject guide concentrates on resources available in print and online via the SDSU Library.
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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Following are a few of the major dictionaries and encyclopedias related to health services administration, with links to PAC holdings.-
Encyclopedia of health care management; editor, Michael J. Stahl
Location: RA971 .E52 2004 Reference - Oxford textbook of public health; editor, Roger Detels ... [et al.] 3 vol.
Location: RA425 .O9 2002 Reference - Encyclopedia of public health; editor, Lester Breslow 4 vol.
Location: RA423 .E53 2002 Reference - Health services cyclopedic dictionary : a compendium of health-care and public health terminology; editor, Thomas C. Timmreck, 3rd ed.
Location: RA393 .T56 1997 Reference
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Finding books
Look for books in the PAC (SDSU Library online catalog) using LC Subject terms such as:
- health services administration
- health facilities administration
- hospitals administration
- health planning
- integrated delivery of health care
- public health administration
- nursing services administration
- medical care united states
Books on administration or planning of specific types of health care facilities are found by looking under the name of the facility followed by the subheading administration or planning, e.g. psychiatric hopsitals - administration, nursing homes - planning.
If you have trouble finding information searching by LC Subject Headings, try searching by words. Choose a title that looks interesting, then look at subject headings used to describe that book.
To broaden a search to materials available in other libraries while in the PAC:
Materials in Circuit and/or LINK+ may be requested online and will be delivered to the Circulation Desk at SDSU within a day (Circuit) to 3-4 business days (LINK+).
Theses and dissertations from SDSU may be found either by searching a specific department, or by subject using the LC subject headings:
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Finding articles
Use article indexes/databases to identify periodical or journal articles on a specific topic related to health services administration. These databases are accessible through the Library web pages, and may be searched remotely from home or office. Remember, health services administration is multidisciplinary by nature. Although Medline is the major index covering all health issues, including health services administration, you will want to search multidisciplinary indexes and those from other fields as well, including business and nursing.
Some specific databases relevant to health services administration include:
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) Offers full text for nearly 2,050 scholarly journals, including nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed titles. This multi-disciplinary database covers virtually every area of academic study, including administration and management of health services.
ProQuest Research Library Provides access to full-text journals across a wide range of subject areas, including business, education, health, political science, and psychology.
Electronic Collections Online Multi-disciplinary collection of scholarly journals from over 70 publishers; option for limiting to "public aspects of medicine."
CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health) -- 1982-present. Designed for nursing and allied health professionals, students, educators and researchers, CINAHL provides indexing for 1,835 journals from the fields of nursing and allied health.
MEDLINE> -- 1966-present. Provides authoritative information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and more. Created by the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE includes abstracts from over 4,800 current biomedical journals.
Web of Science (Citation Indexes) -- 1973-present. Covers all disciplines, but is particularly good for the biosciences. Search for references pertaining to health services administration issues by specific topic or by cited references to follow research forward.
A full list of article databases and other resources relevant to public health is available at the Library homepage.
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Statistics
For a wide variety of resources on general and health statistics, see Subject Guide for Health StatisticsTop of page
Handbooks and Directories
- Hospital Accreditation Standards; Oakbrook, IL: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Location: RA981 A2 J59A Reference - AHA Guide to the Health Care Field
Location: RA977 A64 Reference
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Other web resources
- Health Resources and Administration (HRSA)
- American Public Health Administration (APHA)
- American Hospital Association
- Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
