Case Studies in Health Care Supervision.

Case Studies in Health Care Supervision McConnell CR. Gaithersburg, MD 20878, Aspen Publishers Inc, 1998, paperback, 270 pp, $28.

The purpose of this book is to provide 75 case studies for the initial training and continuing education of supervisors and middle managers in health care organizations. The case studies were developed from actual experiences of managers in situations that have been simplified to encourage readers to focus on specific supervisory problems or practices. The author has been very thorough in identifying the areas where the book may be best used, including individual reader study, small group activities, and supervisory development classes. Basic supervisory and essential management qualities are discussed prior to the case presentations to guide the reader in the choice of managerial direction and to identify personal areas of interest. The 3-part book has a clearly defined table of contents and is well indexed. Part 1 covers introductory management principles, part 2 introduces the cases, and part 3 provides case responses.

Each case is about one page in length. Information provided at the beginning of each case identifies the area of management that the case is addressing. Some of the topics covered in the cases include organizational change, communication, criticism and discipline, decision making, delegation and empowerment, interviewing and hiring, labor relations, leadership, time management, supervisory authority, rules and policies, meetings and group processes, and motivation. Following each case, questions are asked that stimulate problem identification and solving. In the third section of the book, each of the 75 cases has a "response" to the problems it presents that allow the reader to evaluate personal problem-solving and decisionmaking skills. The responses are about one page in length and provide a clearly defined rationale that addresses each of the issues that have been raised. References have been provided for several of the case responses.

The cases presented are interesting, practical, and very well written. As a health care manager, I found the cases to be representative of the types of situations that are typically encountered within the rehabilitation profession. Although the cases were not necessarily specific to or based on "rehabilitative services," that fact seemed inconsequential. The situations and problems presented were applicable to all health care environments.

The book, along with the recommended readings outlined in the text, is recommended for those health care professionals who have an interest in pursuing a career in or college-level coursework in business or health care management. Because of the managerial focus of the book, however, academic educators would find the text to be of limited value in a clinically focused physical therapy curriculum.

Mark A Brimer, PhD, PT Holmes Regional Medical Center Melbourne, Fla

Dr Brimer works in the Department of Rehabilitative Services. His research interests include health care management and administration.