Table Of ContentHEALTH, ILLNESS, AND SOCIETY
An Introduction to Medical Sociology
STEVEN E. BARKAN
University of Maine
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
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Names: Barkan, Steven E., 1951– author.
Title: Health, illness, and society : an introduction to medical sociology / Steven E. Barkan.
Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016017185 (print) | LCCN 2016018275 (ebook) | ISBN 9781442234994 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN
9781442235007 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442235014 (electronic)
Subjects: | MESH: Delivery of Health Care | Sociological Factors
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LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016017185
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Brief Contents
1
Sociology and the Study of Health and Illness
2
A Social History of Health and Illness
3
Health Behavior
4
Illness Behavior and the Illness Experience
5
Social Causes of Health and Health Problems
6
Global Disparities in Health and Disease
7
Medical School and the Training of Physicians
8
Physicians and Their Interaction with Patients
9
Other Health Care Providers: Conventional and Alternative
10
Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings
11
Health and Health Care in the World’s Wealthy Democracies
12
The U.S. Health Care System
13
Health Care Reform: Obamacare and Beyond
4
Contents
Preface
1
Sociology and the Study of Health and Illness
Learning Questions
Sociology and Medical Sociology
Sociology’s Major Themes
The Sociological Imagination
Sociology’s Theoretical Traditions
The Scope of Medical Sociology
The Influence of the Social Environment
The Practice of Health Care
The Social Construction of Illness
Research Methods in Medical Sociology
Surveys
Qualitative Research
Experiments
Criteria of Causality
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
2
A Social History of Health and Illness
Learning Questions
Health and Illness in the Preindustrial World
The Ancient Civilizations
The Middle Ages
The Rise of Scientific Medicine
The Renaissance
The Eighteenth Century
5
The Nineteenth Century
Ethical Issues in Scientific Medicine
Social Epidemiology Yesterday and Today
The Industrial Revolution
The Beginning of Epidemiology: John Snow and Cholera
The Epidemiological Transition
Public Health
A Word about Rates
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
3
Health Behavior
Learning Questions
What Is Health Behavior?
Understanding Health Behavior
Macro Factors
Micro Factors
The Social Context of Health Behavior: Social Class, Race and Ethnicity,
and Gender
Social Class
Race and Ethnicity
Gender
Illustrating the Effects of Social Class, Race and Ethnicity, and Gender
The Social Context of Health Behavior: Other Factors
Social Relationships
Neighborhood Living Conditions
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Religious Involvement
Corporate Practices
Public Policy
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
4
Illness Behavior and the Illness Experience
Learning Questions
Understanding Illness
Illness as a Social Construction
Illness Behavior
6
Stages of the Illness Experience
Self-Care
Help-Seeking Behavior
The Social Context of Help-Seeking Behavior
The Experience of Illness
The Sick Role
Coping with Illness
A Representative Study of the Illness Experience: Women with STDs
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
5
Social Causes of Health and Health Problems
Learning Questions
Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Disease
Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Health Inequalities
Social Class
Race and Ethnicity
Gender and Sex
Age
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Other Social Causes of Health and Health Problems
Social Stress
Social Relationships and Social Support
Religion
Neighborhood Living Conditions
Environmental Pollution and Hazards
Unsafe Products and Workplaces
Interpersonal Violence and Handgun Violence
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
6
Global Disparities in Health and Disease
Learning Questions
Understanding Global Inequality
Categorizing Global Inequality
Measuring World Poverty
Explaining Global Inequality
Dimensions of Global Health Disparities
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Malnutrition and Hunger
Children’s Health
Women’s Health
Environmental Pollution and Hazards
Substandard Health Care
HIV and AIDS
Documenting Global Health Disparities
Life Expectancy
HIV/AIDs
Tuberculosis
Child Mortality
Child Underweight
Maternal Mortality
Natural Disaster Deaths
Births Attended by Skilled Health Personnel
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
7
Medical School and the Training of Physicians
Learning Questions
Development of Medical Schools and Medical Education
Medical Education in Early America
Nineteenth-Century Developments
The Flexner Report
Medical Schools Today
Sociodemographic Profile of U.S. Medical Students
A Brief Look at Medical School Faculty
The Lives and Experiences of Medical Students
Stress, Fatigue, and Burnout
The Socialization of Medical Students
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
8
Physicians and Their Interaction with Patients
Learning Questions
The Profession of Medicine
The Rise and Decline of the Medical Profession in the United States
Impact of the American Medical Association
8
The Downside of Professionalization
Decline of the Medical Profession’s Dominance
Medical Malpractice
A Profile of Physicians Today
Types of Physicians
The Physician Shortage
Women Physicians
Physician-Patient Interaction
Models of Physician-Patient Interaction
Gender, Race and Ethnicity, and Physician-Patient Interaction
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
9
Other Health Care Providers: Conventional and Alternative
Learning Questions
Mainestream Health Care
Nurses and Nursing
Other Mainstream Health Care Providers
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Prevalence of CAM
Sociodemographic Characteristics and CAM Use
Effectiveness of CAM
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
10
Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings
Learning Questions
Hospitals
A Brief History of Hospitals
Hospitals in the United States Today
Problems in U.S. Hospitals
Other Health Care Settings
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Nursing Homes
Home Health Care and Hospice Care
Conclusion
Summary
9
Giving It Some Thought
11
Health and Health Care in the World’s Wealthy
Democracies
Learning Questions
The Health Care Systems of Wealthy Democracies
Models of Health Care Systems
The Health Care Systems of Selected Nations
Comparing the Wealthy Democracies
Comparing Health in Wealthy Democracies
Comparing Health Care in Wealthy Democracies
Explaining the U.S. Health Disadvantage
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
12
The U.S. Health Care System
Learning Questions
The U.S. Health Care “System”
U.S. Health Care By The Numbers
The Cost of Health Care
Health Care Employment
Health Care Visits
Health Insurance
Problems In U.S. Health Care Delivery
Fragmentation and Lack of Coordination
Health Insurance Coverage: Uninsurance and Underinsurance
Social Inequalities in Health Care Delivery
The High Cost of Health Care
Waste in Health Care Spending
Conclusion
Summary
Giving It Some Thought
13
Health Care Reform: Obamacare and Beyond
Learning Questions
Origins of U.S. Health Insurance
The Progressive Era
10
