Book excerpt: Occupational therapy is an allied health profession with an underlying belief that engaging in occupations promotes both health and wellness. This comprehensive text lays the foundation for occupation-based practice and addresses the contextual issues of working within the acute care setting. The chapters help to demystify medical conditions and issues routinely encountered by occupational therapists working in this practice area. Detailed research covers the importance of occupational therapists' knowledge of how diseases affect the human body, including the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. Chapters review the evaluation process, including chart review, measures, and interpretations and recommendations for intervention to ensure the ultimate level of independence for each patient. Occupational Therapy in Acute Care is designed specifically for therapists working in a hospital setting to acquire better knowledge of the various body systems, common conditions, diseases, and procedures. Students and educators will find this new publication to be the most useful text available on the topic. The book features color illustrations of the human body's systems and functions, as well as tables delineating the signs and symptoms for various diseases. HIGHLIGHTS include: * Evaluation of the Acute Care Patient * The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) * The Cardiac System * The Vascular System * The Pulmonary System * The Nervous System * Orthopedics and Musculoskeletal Disorders * The Endocrine System * The Gastrointestinal System * The Genitourinary System * Oncology * Infectious Diseases and Autoimmune Disorders * Dysphagia * Transplantation * Burns * Appendices -- Common diagnostic tests, medications, deconditioning and immobility, energy conservation, patients with altered mental status, low vision, bariatrics, vertigo, safe patient handling, pain management, evidence-based practice, ethics, discharge planning, blood disorde