SOC FINAL

Major differences between medical and sociological perspective

definitions, cause, reactions, medical decisions

Differences between medical and sociological definitions

Medical perspective views illness as objective/the same across the board, (i.e diabetes in China is same as in US). Sociological perspective emphasizes how definitions of illness can vary over time and how different groups can view different things as illness.

Differences between medical and sociological causes

Medicine emphasizes biological causes (i.e bacteria or specific physical issues), whereas sociology emphasizes social causes, such as living/environmental conditions, i.e straw roofs vs. stone roofs as affecting bubonic plague

Differences between medical and sociological reactions

Medicine focuses on physiological reactions and pain as being consistent across the board. Sociology focuses on variation to pain and differences in how you respond to pain based on group membership

Differences between medical and sociological reactions

In medicine, decisions are based strictly on organic signs and symptoms; in sociology, medical decisions are viewed as a social process influenced by factors like a patient's social worth, race, or gender

Social worth

Perceived value an individual has to society based on personal attributes such as their status, productivity, age, or behavior. In medical context, it is which patients are more “deserving”

Social worth influences treatment decisions in 4 ways:

• Allocation of scarce resources

• Emergency room triage

• Preferential treatment for those of high status

• Categorization of “problem patients”

Role of social worth in medical decisions suggest medicine is

particularlistic

Universalistic

doctors are expected to treat all patients equally based on their status as "patients," ignoring personal attributes like race, age, or social status

Particularistic

occurs when practitioners treat patients according to their specific personal characteristics

The major conclusions of Victor Fuchs’ article, "A Tale of Two States" lend support to the _______ perspective on the health care crisis.

personal responsibility/downstream

Epidemiological finding that supports personal resonsibility

Neada/Utah

Epidemiological finding that supports upstream

Rule of triage

Analyzes a patient's likelihood to survive if given medical treatment, divides patients into three distinct groups: 

1. Those who will survive even if they are not treated

2. Those who will die even if they receive treatment

3. Those who will only survive if given treatment