Sociology of Health and Health Care

Part 1 Introduction - sociology, health and health care: what is sociology?; principles of social research; doing social research; theoretical division in sociology; sociology applied to health and health care. Part 2 Health and health care in modern Britain: Britain as an industrial society; state involvement in health care; pressures on the NHS; towards health care 2000. Part 3 Health, illness and social structure: approaches to health and health care; the bio-medical model of health; infectious disease - the role of medicine; over-medication and iatrogenesis; the behavioural model of health; social aspects of health; the care of the sick. Part 4 Inequalities and differences in health: class inequalities; ethnic divisions; gender differences; divisions of age. Part 5 Social integration, social support and health: stress and health; life change and anomie; social integration; integration and health; social support. Part 5 Experiences of health and illness: social definitions of health and illness; health, disease and illness; health and illness behaviour; illness and identity; the sick role; patients in hospital; nurse-patient relationships. Part 6 Chronic illness and physical disability: impairment, disability and handicap; chronic illness and disability in British society; coping with chronic illness and disability; factors influencing the experience of physical disability; the role of others. Part 7 Mental disorders: disease of behaviour?; social aspects of mental disorder; experience of mental illness; hospital care; community care; suicide and self-harm; care or control?. Part 8 Dying, death and bereavement: death in modern Britain; the main settings of terminal care; coping with dying and bereavement; communication and disclosure; euthanasia. Part 9 Caring for the sick; family relationships, health status and health care; developments in family relationships; private lives and health issues; families and lay referral; families and lay care; social policy and family surveillance. Part 10 Recent trends in health policy - consumerism and managerialism; health policy; purchasers and providers; consumerism in health care; management in health care. Part 11 Nurses and nursing: the origins of modern nursing; social divisions in modern nursing; divisions of nursing labour; nursing in the community; power, medicine and professionalism.