Medical Sociology Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Medical Sociology?

Medical Sociology is a field of sociology that studies the social aspects of health and healthcare. It focuses on the social determinants of health, access to care, and the organization of healthcare systems. It also looks at how medical care is provided and used by individuals and communities, as well as how medical knowledge is produced and used.Medical Sociology examines such topics as the impact of health disparities on people’s lives; the effects of medical technology on society; public policy issues related to healthcare; organizational structure and processes within hospitals, clinics, and other institutions; changes in doctor-patient interaction over time; patient outcomes in different cultures or countries; global health issues such as pandemics or poverty-related diseases; trends in biomedical research funding; ethical dilemmas associated with advances in genomics or stem cell research. The field takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines perspectives from sociology, anthropology, medicine, public health policy, political science, psychology, economics and other disciplines. Medical sociologists often study how cultural beliefs shape ideas about what constitutes good health practices or effective treatments for illnesses. They may also study how particular conditions are constructed by societyfor instance looking at mental illness stigma or exploring why certain groups are more likely to develop particular diseases than others (e.g., racial disparities in cancer rates). Medical Sociology has important implications for public policy-making as it can help inform strategies aimed at improving population health outcomes by looking at underlying structural causes of poor health such as poverty or unequal access to healthcare services. Additionally, this field contributes to understanding social inequities that may create barriers to access quality care across different populations (such as gender inequalities) which can lead to better allocation of resources within a community or nation’s healthcare system.