Essay On Medical Sociology

The journal article Reflections on Fifty Years of Medical Sociology highlights the knowledge and improvements in the area of medical sociology, while posing questions for future consideration. Heavy consideration is put into life expectancy, educating of warnings, and who can and cannot access the funds necessary to receive adequate health care. For example, in the past fifty years, the elderly had no medical coverage available specifically for them, and there were no warnings for alcohol and tobacco. Now, Medicare helps cover the elderly in the United States, and warning labels are printed on all alcohol and tobacco products. Without a social aspect involved, which could be expressing a desire to live longer or acknowledging the fact that

Access to health care involves many factors, including how to get to the doctor. Some people may be provided with health care, but do not have a vehicle and therefor cannot make it to see a specialist. These people may live in towns that do not provide public transportation, very little public transportation, or simply cannot afford the public transportation. They may also only know other people who share the same socioeconomic status, and also do not have vehicles, so there is no way for them to ask for a

These sociologists are able to study health care reform while it is happening and determine if the overhauls in aspects like cost can allow for improvements in health care for everyone. Medical sociologists are also responsible for reporting their knowledge to policy makers, who will then decide if processes such as building “medical homes” are worth their money. Without the knowledge of the medical sociologists, lawmakers would put all of the focus on the bottom dollar and forget to take into account what it is society needs most and can receive the greatest benefit from. The same goes for new, expensive medical technology. Technology is an ongoing area of study for medical sociologists, since it is constantly changing. Cost-benefit ratios are well known by medical sociologists, so technology is a good thing to consult with sociologists before implementing it into a health care system. Knowledge of these types is obtained by observing everyone involved, from the providers to the