BOOK REVIEW
Pandemics and Healthcare: Principles, Processes and Practice
REVIEW BY PROF JP VAN NIEKERK (RETIRED)
Authors: A Dhai, D Ballot and M Veller | ISBN – print: 9781485131748; ISBN – eBook: 978148513175 | 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic dealt the world a massive medical emergency, but countries often created an economic catastrophe through wrong decisions and policies. This book sets out to deal comprehensively with the specific and broader effects of the pandemic, lessons learned and advice for dealing with the inevitable future epidemics or pandemics. While some chapters deal with the earlier waves of the pandemic, the principles nevertheless apply to all aspects of the pandemic. The experiences described are largely related to South Africa but are applicable elsewhere in the world.
Each of the 25 chapters of the book comprehensively cover the relevant disciplines and are authored by experts in the respective fields. The first three chapters broadly cover the occurrence and effects of pandemics, the importance of global health security, and the history of pandemics. The following three chapters deal with ethical issues of the pandemic, including selected medico-legal aspects in South Africa, and corruption and the importance of ethical leadership. A number of chapters then analyse general aspects of the pandemic including: protective equipment, health equity and social determinants of health, behaviour modification for the common good, the importance of health economics, effects on education, digital health and AI and data science, vaccines and immunological treatments, the role of media, epidemiology and lessons from a new hospital surveillance platform in South Africa. The final chapters cover health research and the experiences of medical disciplines – mental health, primary health care, critical care and emergency medicine, infectious diseases, paediatrics, obstetrics and the surgical disciplines.
Each chapter deals in detail with its topic, including practical experience and how the pandemic was managed. Recommendations are made on the management of potential future pandemics. The chapters provide useful summaries or answers to frequently answered questions. Each chapter also provides a comprehensive list of references.
This is thus a scholarly record of the effects and responses to the COVID pandemic and with recommendations to deal with future pandemics. While there have been many academic articles concerning the pandemic this book provides valuable resource material in one volume and represents an important source of reference. It is highly recommended for healthcare students and practitioners and others wishing to have an in-depth source on the pandemic e.g. economists, ethicists, journalists etc.