Medicine and Health

Kelsea Toseki and Megan Muffly

Thesis

Medicine and healthcare are important issues that impact society both in the United States and around the world.

Definitions

Medicine One of the major

social institutions that sociologists study

A society’s organized ways of dealing with sickness and injury

Health A human condition

measured by the following components

Physical Mental Social Spiritual

*The definitions of health and illness vary from culture to culture, as do the components of health*

The Sick Role

4 Elements to the Sick Role1. Not held responsible

2. Exempt from normal responsibilities

3. Don’t like the role

4. Get competent help

The Sick Role

Sick role is controversial– are you sick or not?

Parents and physicians are primary gatekeepers

Gender differences Women are more

comfortable claiming sick role

Professionalization

Education becomes rigorous

Physicians claim a theoretical understanding of illness

Regulate themselves Claim to be doing a

service to society Take authority over

clients.

Monopoly

Controlling education and licensing

Fee-for-Service Makes medicine a

business Drive up price of

healthcare Government funded

healthcare Medicare and

Medicaid

Physical Health

Top 10 causes of death in the U.S., 2001

Types of Health

Physical Health Body’s fitness

Weight BMI Strength Endurance

Immune System

Mental Health Emotional and

Psychological well-being Deal with and recover

from difficult situations Stress

Confidence Human Interaction

Issues in Healthcare

Government provided healthcare

Social Inequality Malpractice Suits

Defensive medicine Medical Incompetence Depersonalization Conflict of Interest Medical Fraud Sexism Medically Assisted Suicide

Threats to Health

HIV/AIDS Globalization of

Disease Epidemics

Drugs Alcohol Nicotine

Disabling Environments Experiments

Alternatives

Treatment vs. Prevention Spend more money on

prevention? Global Perspective

Interview / Statistics

Universal Healthcare??

YesNo

Works Cited

Annandale, Ellen. "Book - Ellen Annandale - The Sociology of Health and Medicine." Welcome to Polity - leading international publisher in the social sciences and humanities - www.politybooks.com. 15 May 2009 http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=0745613578

“Balanced Politics.org – Universal Healy Care (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against).” BalancedPolitics.org – Free Balanced, Non-Partisan Discussion of Political & Social Issues for Debate (Pros and Cons – Decision Making Politics). 25 Mar. 2009. 13 May 2009 http://www.balancedpolitics.org/universal_health_care.htm.

Category. “The Mind and the Body are the Same Thing.” Mental Health – Information on Mental Health. 27 Nov. 2003. 13 May 2009 http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/mindandbody/a/mindbody.htm.

Henslin, James M.. Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (6th Edition). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2004.

"Introduction to Sociology/Health and Medicine - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks." Wikibooks. 9 May 2009. 11 May 2009 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Sociology/Health_and_Medicine

Prosser, Brenton. "Emerging From the Shadow of Medicine - Health Sociology Review." Health Sociology Review - Health Sociology Review. 15 May 2009 http://hsr.e-contentmanagement.com/archives/vol/15/issue/5/article/119/emerging-from-the-shadow-of-medicine