The sociology of healthcare / Alan Clarke.

Previous ed.: Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2001.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1.An introduction to the sociology of health and illness --The biomedical model: an introduction and critique--What is sociology?--Sociological perspectives--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading-- 2. Experiences of health and illness -- An introduction to the concepts of disease, illness and health--Lay perspectives--Illness behaviour-- Illness as deviance--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading--3.The sociolgy of mental illness --Concepts of mental illness and mental health--Sociological approaches to the study of mental illness--Explaining the relationship between social class and mental illness--Gender and mental illness-- Mental health of minority ethnic groups--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading-- 4.Inequalities in health -- Introduction--Measuring health--Determining social class--Social class,life expectancy and mortality: --Social class and morbidity--Regional differences in mortality rates--Explaining inequalities in health--Gender inequalities in health--Ethnicity and inequalities in health--tackling inequalities in health--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading--5 Childhood and adolescence -- The study of ageing-The social construction of childhood--Towards a sociology of child health--Adolesence--Childhood and adolescennce: the contemporary context--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading--6.Llater life --An ageing population--Theoretical perspectives on old age--Experiencing old age--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading-- 7.End of life: The end of the life course--Death as a fact of life--Attitudes to death and dying--Theories of death and dying--Good death,bad death--Summary--Questionsfor discussion--Further reading--8.Care, community and family --The concept of \'care\'--Community care; the policy context--Making sense of \'community\'--The family--Informal care--Caregivers: the policy context--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading-- 9.Communication in healthcare settings:--Communication in haealthcare--Perspectives on the doctor-patient relationship--Medical consultations as social encounters--Nurse-patient interaction--Professional-patient interaction in pregnancy and childbirth--The doctor-nurse relationship--Communicating with dying patients--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading-- 10..Contemporary issues in healthcare--Professions in healthcare--Health promotion--Health service: reforms and research--Summary--Questions for discussion--Further reading.

This edition explores the impact of current social changes on health, illness and healthcare, and provides an overview of the fundamental concerns in these areas. The text is further enhanced through the use of case studies that relate theory to professional practice, and discussion questions to aid understanding.