Paper Example on Understanding Health, Illness & Society: An Intro to Medical Sociology

Barkan, S. E. (2020). Health, illness, and society: An introduction to medical sociology. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Barkan provides a comprehensive text on the sociological outlook on general fitness, diseases and healthcare. An overview of this book is that it emphasizes on the social background of health and illnesses. It focuses on the effect of social inequality on health discrepancies and the expected standards of healthcare. It additionally gives a critical examination of healthcare in the USA and on an international basis as well. It analyzes the pros and cons of the Affordable Care and act and other reforms that have been introduced in the field of healthcare. This book is essential in this study as it serves as a rough guide to medical sociology as it gives an overview of some insightful information that would be useful to public health researchers and medical sociologists.

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Bradby, H. (2016). Research agenda in medical sociology. Frontiers in Sociology, 1, 14.

The author is a sociologist who gives a highlight of how sociology relates to the field of medicine. This engaging article gives a highlight of the underlying reasons as to why researchers choose to study medical sociology. It is depicted that sociology is a representation of the study of society which requires comprehensive research covering the facts, procedures and empirical pieces of evidence. Thus, the author proves how medical science is related to sociology and appreciates the integration of significant medical reforms. The article generally describes how sociology offers vital insights into medicine's restorative and beneficial aspects. This article is useful in this study as it depicts the challenges that are found in the study of medical sociology. It then goes on to showcase some of the mechanisms through which medical sociology research works can lead to significant outcomes.

Brooks, L., Collett, T., & Forrest, S. (2016). It's just common sense! Why do negative perceptions of sociology teaching in medical education persist and is there any change in sight? MedEdPublish, 5.

This journal seeks to criticize why people still try to prove the irrelevance of studying medical sociology. The authors try to prove the significance of studying medical sociology. It is indicated that the epistemological understanding and several other concepts in medicine are all connected with sociology in some way. Various false perceptions have been placed in students and hence the need for learners to understand medical aspects in the social context. It is also depicted that the social aspect in medicine originates from the fact that individuals from different backgrounds can gather and share similar insights on the complexities of healthcare. This journal is relevant to medical sociology as it indicates the role of sociologists in remitting of sociological understandings about health care. It serves as a guide to medical students in understanding sociological paradigms in relation to healthcare.

Frank, R., Axxe, E., Balasca, C., & Rodriguez, M. (2019). Advancing the Field of Immigration and Health', Immigration and Health (Advances in Medical Sociology, Volume 19) (pp. 1-14). Emerald Publishing Limited.

The issue of immigration and health is one of the most significant subjects in medical sociology. Immigration is one of the biggest concerns in the country, and the immigrants have to be taken care of in all aspects. Several factors have been introduced in immigration, and this hinders some of the processes that are meant to cater to the needs of immigrants in terms of healthcare, for instance, the type of health programs and reforms to be given to immigrants. The book deals with issues of the immigrant health concerns as well as the societal and essential perspectives on immigrant health. This book is critical to this study as it depicts the effects of discrimination and political interferences on the health of the affected immigrants. It also showcases some of the significant challenges that are faced by immigrants in their bid to access healthcare.

Kendall, K., Collett, Forrest, S., & Kelly, M. (2018). Teaching sociology to undergraduate medical students. Medical teacher, 40(12), 1201-1207.

This article portrays that excellent medical practice requires comprehending the social aspects of medical and general healthcare. Medical sociology involves elements such as ethnicity, race, and gender effect in the healthcare sector and people's experiences with illnesses and medical care. The book gives reasons as to why it is essential to study sociological aspects in the medical field. This book is vital in medical sociology as it shows the learners some useful elements of good practice and excellent delivery of healthcare services. The article is a typical guide to learners on how they can improve their practice and be beneficial in delivery of their healthcare services.

Leefmann, J., Schaper, M., & Schicktanz, S. (2017). The concept of "genetic responsibility" and its meanings: a systematic review of qualitative medical sociology literature. Frontiers in Sociology, 1, 18.

The researchers present the findings of their study done in an attempt to find the correct definition of terms in medical sociology. They mainly focus on genetic information and genetic responsibility, which are terms that are used in the medical field. The study integrates the use of socio-empirical literary works to find significant definitions and to give theoretical clarification. The research focuses on various aspect of the society such as the family, specific people, institutions and medical care professionals. It is revealed that socio-empirical studies have some kind of complexity and vagueness that can lead to confusing and biased results. This study is essential as it shows the type of literature that learners can use when doing research work that is related to medical sociology. It is appropriate to use theoretical studies as compared to socio-empirical studies.

Shaw, I., & Woodward, L. (2017). Constructing risk: rumour as a resource for medical sociology. In Constructions of Health and Illness (pp. 16-25). Routledge.

The authors portray the social construction of diseases as a significant study concept in the field of medical sociology. They intend to showcase the background of this concept and come up with some primary constructionist discoveries. There are some diseases that are specifically related to cultural meaning, and this has an impact on the manner in which society identifies illnesses. Also, people in society usually perceive illnesses on an experiential level. Lastly, the medical information on some sicknesses is not naturally derived; it is instead designed and processed by concerned people and clam-makers. This text is useful in policy-related studies in the field of social constructionism. It is depicted that this aspect gives an essential counterpoint to people's approaches to illnesses and healthcare. It can also enlarge policy making and other significant reforms in the healthcare context.

References

Barkan, S. E. (2020). Health, illness, and society: An introduction to medical sociology. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Bradby, H. (2016). Research agenda in medical sociology. Frontiers in Sociology, 1, 14.

Brooks, L., Collett, T., & Forrest, S. (2016). It's just common sense! Why do negative perceptions of sociology teaching in medical education persist and is there any change in sight? MedEdPublish, 5.

Frank, R., Axxe, E., Balasca, C., & Rodriguez, M. (2019). Advancing the Field of Immigration and Health', Immigration and Health (Advances in Medical Sociology, Volume 19) (pp. 1-14). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Kendall, K., Collett, Forrest, S., & Kelly, M. (2018). Teaching sociology to undergraduate medical students. Medical teacher, 40(12), 1201-1207.

Leefmann, J., Schaper, M., & Schicktanz, S. (2017). The concept of "genetic responsibility" and its meanings: a systematic review of qualitative medical sociology literature. Frontiers in Sociology, 1, 18.

Shaw, I., & Woodward, L. (2017). Constructing risk: rumour as a resource for medical sociology. In Constructions of Health and Illness (pp. 16-25). Routledge.