"Kevin White guides us through the many reasons for the centrality of health showing clearly that health and illness are the products not just of our biology but of the society into which we are born. He expertly draws on the works of Parsons, Marx, Foucault and feminist writers to provide an authoritative analysis of the social nature of health." - Ray Fitzpatrick, University of Oxford "I have used this book for many years because it is so well written, and it is easy for the students to understand." - Julianne Law, Bangor University "An excellent introductory text to help the students to begin to critically analyse different perspectives on health." - Debbie Chittenden, University of Bolton This is a new edition of the best-selling textbook for students of the sociology of health and illness. Free of jargon, intuitive about student needs and well versed in course requirements, Kevin White's book is used widely across both health and sociology schools.

'I read your book and found it easy to understand and informative, without being too full of jargon. My previous experience of sociology left me thinking that the social sciences were too protective of their own information - in that the language used was often designed to restrict its understanding, so it was a pleasant surprise to find such "user friendly" language!' - Julie Rankin, Student. Praise for the First Edition: 'The book is a great introduction! it gives the students a sound basis, gets them thinking and gives them the confidence to move on' - Sarah Nettleton, University of York.'This book was a pleasure to read, given its clarity and the broad spectrum of topics covered so succinctly! It delivers a grounded and measured summary of the sociology of health. Perhaps most importantly however, I feel it achieves the task of promoting critical thinking and questioning in relation to the medical model and our understanding of health as anchored in the social world' - Zoe Hildon, Imperial College London. The eagerly-awaited new edition of "Understanding the Sociology of Health: An Introduction" (previously "Understanding Health: A Sociological Introduction") brings together the best of current thinking in the sociology of health and illness in a truly 'readable' and concise manner. Extensively revised and drawing on the latest applied sociological research and new theoretical insights into health and illness, "Understanding the Sociology of Health: An Introduction" explores everything from health inequalities to chronic illness; embodiment to research techniques; and health care organisation to social theory. Though aimed primarily at students on health and social care courses and professions allied to medicine, this textbook provides valuable insights for anyone interested in the social aspects of health. Anne-Marie Barry is a Research Consultant in Edinburgh and former lecturer in sociology at Robert Gordon's University, Aberdeen. Chris Yuill is lecturer in sociology at Robert Gordon's University, Aberdeen.

Hierdie title is hoofsaaklik geskryf vir studente in verpleegkunde. Die inhoud is spesifiek gemik op 'n inleidende kursus in die sosiologie en mediese sosiologie. Die materiaal word aangebied met beide die student en die dosent in gedagte en sal help om die terrein van die sosiologie en mediese sosiologie vir die student verstaanbaar te maak.

The new edition of this landmark international work builds on the previous two volumes, offering a window onto occupational therapy practice, theory and ideas in different cultures and geographies. It emphasizes the importance of critically deconstructing and engaging with the broader context of occupation, particularly around how occupational injustices are shaped through political, economic and historical factors. Centering on the wider social and political aspects of occupation and occupation-based practices, this textbook aims to inspire occupational therapy students and practitioners to include transformational elements into their practice. It also illustrates how occupational therapists from all over the world can affect positive changes by engaging with political and historical contexts. Divided into six sections, the new edition begins by analyzing the key concepts outlined throughout, along with an overview on the importance and practicalities of monitoring and evaluation in community projects. Section Two explores occupation and justice emphasizing that issues of occupational injustice are present everywhere, in different forms: from clinical settings to community-based rehabilitation. Section Three covers the enactment of different Occupational Therapies with a focus on the multiplicity of occupational therapy from the intimately personal to the broadly political. Section Four engages with the broader context of occupational therapy from the political to the financial. The chapters in this section highlight the recent financial crisis and the impact it has had on people's everyday life. Section Five collects a range of different approaches to working to enable a notion of occupational justice. Featuring chapters from across the globe, Section Six concludes by highlighting the importance and diversity of educational practices. Comprehensively covers occupational therapy theory, methodology and practice examples related to working with underserved and neglected populations Gives a truly global overview with contributions from over 100 international leading experts in the field and across a range of geographical, political and linguistic contexts Demonstrates how occupational injustices are shaped through political, economic and historical factors Advocates participatory approaches which work for those who experience inequalities Includes a complete set of new chapters Explores neoliberalism and financial contexts, and their impact on occupation Examines the concept of disability Discusses theoretical and practical approaches to occupational justice

Now in its fourth edition, this definitive and popular introduction to human behaviour in the context of health and illness includes three new chapters, many new contributors and a new co-editor. It is arranged in nine sections to cover the core concepts of psychology and sociology as they apply to medicine. The life cycle Development of the person Society and health Preventing illness and promoting health Illness, behaviour and the doctor-patient encounter Illness and disability Coping with illness and disability Hoe do health services work How do you fit into all this? Topics presented as self-contained double-page spreads. Cases throughout to reinforce understanding of important concepts. Boxes and discussion points throughout. The authors comprise psychologists, sociologists and doctors. Highly illustrated 48 new contributors New co-editor, Gerry Humphris 3 new chapters: Malnutrition and obesity Urban nature health and well-being LGBT Health

Sociology for Nurses has become a leading textbook and an invaluable companion for students wishing to get to grips with how sociology can positively transform professional nursing practice. This thoroughly revised new edition maintains its commitment to providing jargon-free explanations of sociological theories and evidence to show how studying sociology can be useful in all branches of nursing. Readers will develop a clear understanding of what sociology is and why it is essential to practice, gain deeper awareness of social issues such as gender, ethnicity, class and the life course, and become more familiar with the social contexts of health policy and nursing as a profession. With updates in every chapter, the third edition includes a new chapter on research methods, a reorganized collection of chapters on health policy, extended coverage of long-term illness and disability, as well as contemporary case studies on topical healthcare issues such as dementia, the ‘obesity epidemic’ and recent attempts to integrate health and social care. In addition, the book provides clearly defined learning aims, a useful glossary of sociological concepts, structured activities and questions for discussion, and annotated suggestions for further reading. The editors and contributing authors to the book have a wealth of experience teaching sociology to nurses at diploma and degree pre-registration and post-registration levels. Their book will continue to spark interest and debate among all student nurses, particularly those approaching sociology for the first time. Please visit the accompanying website at: http://www.politybooks.com/sociologyfornurses.

Mary Seacole: The Making of the Myth is the first book to challenge the popular misconceptions that surround Mary Seacole s iconic status as a pioneer nurse and battlefield heroine, intended, by some, to replace Florence Nightingale in those roles. McDonald masterfully disentangles reality from the myths, both those that exaggerate Seacole s work and ignore or denigrate Nightingale s. Drawing on the considerable primary sources available on both women, including letters and journal notes by officers, medical doctors and other observers during the Crimean War, as well as Seacole s own memoir, McDonald debunks claims that Seacole was the real heroine of the Crimean War and a pioneer of healthcare. Her book supports the recognition of Seacole for her life and work, but not as the decorated battlefield heroine as she is typically portrayed today."

The reassuring bromides of "chicken soup for the soul" provide little solace for nurses and the people they serve in real-life hospitals, nursing homes, schools of nursing, and other settings. In the minefield of modern health care, there are myriad obstacles to quality patient care including work overload, inadequate funds for nursing education and research, and poor communication between and within the professions, to name only a few. The seventy RNs whose stories are collected here by the award-winning journalist Suzanne Gordon know that effective advocacy isn't easy. It takes nurses willing to stand up for themselves, their coworkers, their patients, and the public.

When Chicken Soup Isn't Enough brings together compelling personal narratives from a wide range of nurses from across the globe. The assembled profiles in professional courage provide new insight into the daily challenges that RNs face in North America and abroad and how they overcome them with skill, ingenuity, persistence, and individual and collective advocacy at work and in the community. In this collection, we meet RNs working at the bedside, providing home care, managing hospital departments, teaching and doing research, lobbying for quality patient care, and campaigning for health care reform.

Their stories are funny, sad, deeply moving, inspiring, and always revealing of the different ways that nurses make their voices heard in the service of their profession. The risks and rewards, joys and sorrows, of nursing have rarely been captured in such vivid first-person accounts. Gordon and the authors of the essays contained in this book have much to say about the strengths and shortcomings of health care today and the role that nurses play as irreplaceable agents of change."

The healthcare system has turned the art and science of healing into big business, and many doctors can no longer devote the greater part of their working hours directly to patient care, faced as they are with reams of insurance- and legal-related paperwork, the constant threat of malpractice, and a burgeoning patient population. Despite this, some physicians still enter the profession with deeply held convictions, hopes, and idealism, and go on to excel not just as medical doctors, but as human beings. Characteristics of Compassion: Portraits of Exemplary Physicians is book that profiles the recipients of the prestigious "Excellence in Medicine" award given by the American Medical Association. It gives insight into what sets these outstanding doctors apart from their peers to inspire medical professionals and their patients. It provides first hand insights and identifies a rich description of traits/motivations shared by today's leading physicians.

Provides a reference on quality of life (QOL) for oncology nurses in many settings. Section I overviews the evolution of QOL in oncology nursing, and Section II highlights theory development related to QOL. Section III focuses on research and measurement issues, and Section IV demonstrates the impor

"At Work in the Field of Birth" is an ethnographic study of midwifery in Canada in the wake of its historic transition from the margins as a grassroots social movement devoted to low-tech, woman-centered care to a regulated profession within the public health care system. In January 1994, after decades of lobbying by midwives and their supporters, the province of Ontario recognized midwifery as a profession for the first time in more than a century.

Through stories about becoming and being a midwife and stories about receiving midwifery care, this book describes how fundamental tenets of midwifery philosophy and practice--the meaning of tradition, natural birth, and home birth, and the place of medical technology in midwifery--are being reworked by the practical and ideological challenges of midwifery's new place within the formal health care system. MacDonald presents contemporary midwifery as a complex cultural system in which "nature" and "tradition" emerge as dynamic rather than esssentialized social categories of meaning and experience.

STORY EXCERPT:
Martina, another rural midwife, tells me "My great-grandmother was a midwife . . . so I sort of have this idea that there is still a bit of that in my blood. But at the same time-I mean, we don't just get called during labour-it's much more clinical. We are doing blood work that my grandmother wouldn't have done and more lab work and tests. But I want to hold on to some of that. I don't want to become a techno midwife. It's not what I want to do at all. It doesn't mean tat we don't use technology or are not willing to-we certainly do, all the time. But I think that one thing that attracts women to midwives and certainlyattracts women to become midwives is the sense of the neighbour, the friend, having a cup of tea. It is more friendly, you've got time to spend with women."

"At Work in the Field of Birth" is an ethnographic study of midwifery in Canada in the wake of its historic transition from the margins as a grassroots social movement devoted to low-tech, woman-centered care to a regulated profession within the public health care system. In January 1994, after decades of lobbying by midwives and their supporters, the province of Ontario recognized midwifery as a profession for the first time in more than a century.

Through stories about becoming and being a midwife and stories about receiving midwifery care, this book describes how fundamental tenets of midwifery philosophy and practice--the meaning of tradition, natural birth, and home birth, and the place of medical technology in midwifery--are being reworked by the practical and ideological challenges of midwifery's new place within the formal health care system. MacDonald presents contemporary midwifery as a complex cultural system in which "nature" and "tradition" emerge as dynamic rather than esssentialized social categories of meaning and experience.

STORY EXCERPT:
Martina, another rural midwife, tells me "My great-grandmother was a midwife . . . so I sort of have this idea that there is still a bit of that in my blood. But at the same time-I mean, we don't just get called during labour-it's much more clinical. We are doing blood work that my grandmother wouldn't have done and more lab work and tests. But I want to hold on to some of that. I don't want to become a techno midwife. It's not what I want to do at all. It doesn't mean tat we don't use technology or are not willing to-we certainly do, all the time. But I think that one thing that attracts women to midwives and certainlyattracts women to become midwives is the sense of the neighbour, the friend, having a cup of tea. It is more friendly, you've got time to spend with women."

Life Support offers an intimate and important look at what nurses do for patients and their families. It takes us right to the bedside on hospital wards and home visits, in clinics and emergency rooms, capturing the drama of nurses' work in the story of three RNs at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. Gordon's heroines are nurse practitioner Ellen Kitchen, who bicycles through poor neighborhoods in Boston to visit elderly patients at home; oncology nurse Nancy Rumplik, whose technical skill and emotional support enable cancer patients to endure some of the most arduous high-tech medical treatments; and clinical nurse specialist Jeannie Chaisson, who helps new RNs and physicians begin their careers on a general medical floor. Life Support draws on the experience of these and other nurses to examine the history of their profession, the complex relationship between doctors and nurses, and the central role that nurses play in the final days of life, when care, not cure, is a patient's main concern. In addition, the book makes a powerful critique of hospital restructuring and managed care. Gordon shows how understaffing, shorter hospital stays, layoffs, and replacement of nurses by unlicensed personnel are threatening the quality of care and shifting more of its burden onto patients' families. She describes what consumers can do to resist these trends - through alliances with concerned providers.

The fifth edition of this highly popular text offers a lucid and readable account of ethical issues affecting nurses and other health care practitioners, which will be of value throughout their careers. Nursing ethics offers a highly practical approach with a direct focus on ethical issues that might be encountered by health practitioners in training, in practice and in management. It is also interactive and case-based, encouraging readers to reflect on their current and future areas of practice. The concluding chapters discuss the role of moral theory and give practical models for ethical decision-making. The authors have developed a holistic approach that explores: ethics in hospital and community settings, inter-disciplinary teamwork, ward and hospital management, nursing research, performance management and the political ethics of nursing administration, health service re-structuring and reform. The content has been substantially revised for this edition and significant new material added to reflect developments in theory and practice. covers a wide range of ethical issues - much more than just 'clinical' dilemmas and decision-making skills a down-to-earth and practical approach to applied ethics user-friendly layout material on moral theory kept to a minimum (but dealt with thoroughly at the end of the book) focuses on ethical issues in nursing and case studies taken from nursing practice i.e. the concrete concerns of nurses and other front-line workers pedagogical features include: chapter aims, learning outcomes and further reading for possible essay, tutorial and project topics also useful as a general work of reference on ethic in health care An up-to-date analysis of professions in the context of modernity, to enable health professionals to make sense of global cultural & social developments An analysis of the ethics of evidence-based practice An examination of professional accountability and ethics in performance management to help practitioners/managers understand the ethical basis of management useful web links and teaching notes on a dedicated website: http://evolve.elsevier.com/Thompson/nursingethics/

"Nursing, everyone believes, is the caring profession. Texts on caring line the walls of nursing schools and student shelves. Indeed, the discipline of nursing is often known as the 'caring science.' Because of their caring reputation, nurses top the polls as the most-trustworthy professionals. Yet, in spite of what seems to be an endless outpouring of public support, in almost every country in the world nursing is under threat, in the practice setting and in the academic sector. Indeed, its standing as a regulated profession is constantly challenged. In our view, this paradox is neither accidental nor natural but, in great part, the logical consequence of the fact that nurses and their organizations place such a heavy emphasis on nursing's and nurses' virtues rather than on their knowledge and concrete contributions." from the Introduction

In a series of provocative essays, The Complexities of Care rejects the assumption that nursing work is primarily emotional and relational. The contributors-international experts on nursing- all argue that caring discourse in nursing is a dangerous oversimplification that has in fact created many dilemmas within the profession and in the health care system. This book offers a long-overdue exploration of care at a pivotal moment in the history of health care. The ideas presented here will foster a critical debate that will assist nurses to better understand the nature and meaning of the nurse-patient relationship, confront challenges to their work and their profession, and deliver the services patients need now and into the future.

Contributors: Sanchia Aranda, University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; Rosie Brown, University of Melbourne; Sean Clarke, University of Pennsylvania and University of Montreal; Suzanne Gordon; Marie Heartfield, University of South Australia; Tom Keighley, Royal College of Nursing; Diana J. Mason, American Journal of Nursing; Lydia L. Moland, Babson College; Sioban Nelson, University of Toronto; Dana Beth Weinberg, Queens College, CUNY"

The third book in the Emergence series, The Emergence of Man into the 21st Century offers writings on men's experiences as boys, fathers, and sons, and reflections on relationships, gender, sexuality, race, violence, loss, careers, health, and the search for meaning. The authors who contributed to this important work speak to us in a frank and poignant way about the male experience, helping us embrace our differences, question our presuppositions, and understand the diverse meanings of our experiences.

This work considers the way in which societies and the individuals within them function. It demonstrates how sociological thinking can usefully explain clinical practice in the healthcare world. Using sociological thinking and methods, the reader is encouraged to question and understand healthcare experiences. It explores sociological approaches to healthcare issues and knowledge, the body and mental distress.

For undergraduate/graduate-level courses in Fundamentals of Nursing, Nursing Ethics, or Issues and Trends.

This interdisciplinary text guides students and practitioners to make ethically justifiable decisions in patient care. The text gives nurses a comprehensive basis for understanding the application of ethical principles throughout the life span. It explores both traditional and contemporary theories and acknowledges changing issues and trends in health care that affect the role of nurses.

"An accessible and highly readable introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness through the inclusion of key theorists, concepts, and theories, with reference to contemporary health concerns and recent relevant research." - Kylie Baldwin, De Montfort University "Guides us through the many reasons for the centrality of health, showing clearly that health and illness are the products not just of our biology but of the society into which we are born...an authoritative analysis of the social nature of health." - Ray Fitzpatrick, University of Oxford This bestselling text introduces students to the core principles of the sociology of health, demonstrating the relationship between social structures and the production and distribution of health and disease in modern society. Written with a truly sociological and critical perspective, the book tackles themes such as class, gender and ethnicity, and engages with a range of theories and theorists, including Foucault, Fleck, Parsons, Weber, and Kuhn. The third edition has been thoroughly updated to include the latest cutting-edge thinking in the area, with new empirical examples, updated references, and new sections on 'Thought Styles after Fleck', and 'Transformations of the Medical Profession.' It also uses helpful learning features including chapter overviews, case studies, summaries and further reading suggestions, to provide stimulating and thought-provoking exercises for students in health, nursing and sociology schools.

This new edition of Normal childbirth builds on the strengths of the popular first edition, with updated national and international data, and the most recent debate around the controversial area of childbirth. With the increasing risk of litigation, there can be a tendency to classify women as 'at risk' if they present with even a hint of a problem. This is a contentious area and midwives need to be aware of the wide parameters of 'normal' in order to practise autonomously, effectively and safely. This book provides an evidence-based source for all midwives and other health professionals with an interest normal birth. Explores the wider range of normal childbirth that is unique to individual mothers and babies Challenges the assumptions underpinning current beliefs and attitudes Updated statistics, both national and international Latest research and debate

'An inspiring book for our challenging times' Olivia Coleman Nurses have never been more important. We benefit from their expertise in our hospitals and beyond: in our schools, on our streets, in prisons, hospices and care homes. When we feel most alone, nurses remind us that we are not alone at all. In The Courage to Care bestselling author Christie Watson reveals the remarkable extent of nurses' work: - A community mental-health nurse choreographs support for a man suffering from severe depression - A teen with stab wounds is treated by the critical-care team; his school nurse visits and he drops the bravado - A pregnant woman loses frightening amounts of blood following a car accident; it is a military nurse who synchronises the emergency department into immaculate order and focus. Christie makes a further discovery: that, time and again, it is patients and their families - including her own - who show exceptional strength in the most challenging times. We are all deserving of compassion, and as we share in each other's suffering, Christie Watson shows us how we can find courage too. The courage to care. 'Let's be thankful for wonderful nurses - and writers - like Christie Watson' Jacqueline Wilson 'Christie Watson writes with the fullness of her heart to give us insight into the world of patients and nursing, inspiring us to recognise it is how we treat people, how we speak and respond to them, as well as what we do, that heals' Julia Samuel

An analysis of the efforts of American nurses to establish nursing as an academic discipline and nurses as valued researchers in the decades after World War II. Nurses represent the largest segment of the U.S. health care workforce and spend significantly more time with patients than any other member of the health care team. Dr. Nurse probes their history to examine major changes that have taken place in American health care in the second half of the twentieth century. The book reveals how federal and state health and higher education policies shaped education within health professions after World War II. Starting in the 1950s, academic nurses sought to construct a science of nursing—distinct from that of the related biomedical or behavioral sciences—that would provide the basis for nursing practice. Their efforts transformed nursing’s labor into a valuable site of knowledge production and proved how the application of their knowledge was integral to improving patient outcomes. Exploring the knowledge claims, strategies, and politics involved as academic nurses negotiated their roles and nursing’s future, Dr. Nurse highlights how state-supported health centers have profoundly shaped nursing education and health care delivery. 

Provides students with insights into key contemporary debates and events to demonstrate the relevance of sociology and its practical application to modern nursing. This textbook helps student nurses make the leap from a narrow focus on the physical problems of their patients to a broader understanding of the whole person and the contexts of care which will help them succeed as compassionate nurses. Written directly for nurses, it focuses on the individuals and families in their care, the organisations they work in, and the factors which affect their practice. Key features include: Case studies and scenarios to help students relate sociology to real-life examples Reflection points to help students critically engage with the discussion Learning outcomes and chapter summaries for revision Definitions of key terms in each chapter