Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I Foundations of Social Science and Health
CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Health and the Sociological Imagination
Learning Objectives
A Multidimensional Approach to Health and Health Care
The Sociological Imagination
Bringing the Sociological Imagination into Focus
Critically Analyzing Health and Health Care
The Paradox of American Health Care
Health Care as a Social Institution
Organization of the Book
Activity—Exercising the Sociological Imagination
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 2 The Shifting Landscape of Health and Medicine: Past, Present, and Future
Learning Objectives
Introduction
Medicine before Modernity
Premodern Thinking
Humoral Medicine
The Advent of Modernity
The Birth of Modern Medicine
The Rise of Modern Clinical Practice
Education for Medical and Allied Health Professions
The Business of Modern Health Care
A Shifting Landscape of Health and Disease
Disruptive Illness: Chronic Disease and Incalculable Risk
Changing Disease Profiles
The Consequences of Incalculability
The End of Modern(ist) Health Care: Clinical Practice in the Chronic Illness Era
Conclusion
Activity—Exercising One’s Epistemology: Seeing Disease through Premodern, Modern,
and Postindustrial Frameworks
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 3 The Logic and Methods of Empirical Research
Learning Objectives
The Statistical Imagination
What Is Science?
The Scientific Method
In Pursuit of Causality
Covariation
Eliminating Spuriousness
Time Order
Classic Experimental Design
Clinical Trials
Other Research Designs
Quasi-Experimental Methods
Correlational and Cross-Sectional Methods
Pre-experimental Methods
Qualitative Methods
Research Translation: From Findings to Practice
Does the Study Add to Our Understanding?
Who Is Being Studied?
Is the Research Design Appropriate?
Is Systematic Bias Avoided or Minimized?
Statistical Considerations
Research Ethics
Conclusion: Evidence-Based Medicine and the Statistical Imagination
Activity—Thinking Critically about Research
Discussion Questions
PART II Social Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
CHAPTER 4 Social Class and Health
Learning Objectives
The Social Determinants of Health
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Social Class as a Fundamental Cause of Health and Disease
Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Role of Clinical Practice
Conclusion
Activity—The Flint Water Crisis: The Many Dimensions of Class and Health
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 5 A Matrix of Health Inequalities
Learning Objectives
Age
Gender
LGBTQ+
Race and Ethnicity
Culture
Conclusion: A Matrix of Inequalities
Activity—Historical Memory, Inherited Culture, and Distrust of Health Care: The Tuberculosis Outbreak in Marion, Alabama
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 6 Health Behavior and Lifestyles
Learning Objectives
A Renewed Emphasis on Health Behavior
Explaining Health Behavior
The Health Belief Model
Alternative Models
Process Models
The Health Lifestyles Paradigm
Implications for Health Care Practice
Activity—Habitus and Health Behavior: How Can You Get Janek Polakow to Diet and Exercise?
Discussion Questions
PART III Social Science in Clinical Practice
CHAPTER 7 Power, Medicalization, and Clinical Practice
Learning Objectives
Introduction
Medicalization
Power in the Clinic
Two Forms of Power
The Clinical Functions of Power
Medicalization, Social Control, and Overdiagnosis
Conclusion: Dilemmas of Difference
Activity—Risks, Benefits, and Perspective: Navigating the Autism Spectrum
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 8 The Illness Experiences of Patients and Families
Learning Objectives
The Illness Experience of Patients
Grief in Health Care
Illness and Identity
Families and Caregiving
Caregiving Burden
The Stress Process Model
Conclusion: Disease and Illness, Patients and Persons
Activity—The Illness Experience of Patients and Families
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 9 The Social Dynamics of Clinical Communication
Learning Objectives
The Social Structure of Clinical Encounters
The Influence of Age
The Influence of Gender
Gender and Sexual Identity
The Influence of Socioeconomic Status
The Influence of Race/Ethnicity
The Influence of Culture
Narrative and the Art of Clinical Practice
Basic Interviewing Techniques
Conclusion
Activity—Eliciting Patient Narrative: Role-Play Activities
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 10 Health Professions and Interprofessional Teamwork
Learning Objectives
Introduction: Specialization and Complexity
Professions in Transition
The Emergence of Professional Medicine
The Deprofessionalization of Medicine
Emerging Professions
Problems within a Complex Professional Landscape
Best Practices for Interprofessional Teamwork
Conclusion: Beyond Checklists
Activity—Teamwork and Patient Care: The Case of “Psycho Mike”
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 11 Bioethics, Social Science, and Clinical Practice
Learning Objectives
Introduction
The Emergence of Bioethics
Principles of Biomedical Ethics and Beyond
The Four Principles of Biomedical Ethics
Other Forms of Ethical Reasoning and Decision-Making
From Theory to Practice
A Framework for Practical Bioethics
The Social Psychology of Clinical Ethics
Conclusion: The Bioethical Imagination
Activity—Navigating Bioethical Decisions
Discussion Questions
PART IV Health Systems
CHAPTER 12 Health Care Systems and Policy
Learning Objectives
Introduction
System Goals
Cost
Access
Quality
Health Care in the United States
Provider-Induced Demand and Overtreatment
Patient-Induced Demand and Overtreatment
Bureaucratic Complexity
Just Culture and Medical Error
Conclusion: The End of Modern Health Care
Activity—Systems-level Challenges in Health Care
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 13 Comparative Health Care Systems
Learning Objectives
Health Care System Models
The Mutual Aid Model
The State Model
The Professional Model
The Corporatist Model
Conclusion
Activity—Matching Health System Design to the Health and Illness Landscape
Discussion Questions
CHAPTER 14 Conclusion
Learning Objectives
References
Index