Hierarchy and Power in Australian Healthcare

This paper examines the entire Australian healthcare system, how power is distributed and various sources of power and authority. It also evaluates sociology theories and their applicability in the Australian healthcare system.

Running Head: HIERARCHY AND POWER IN AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE 1
HIERARCHY AND POWER IN AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 2
HIERARCHY AND POWER IN AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE
Introduction
Healthcare in any society is very crucial as it determines how healthy the population is.
Australia is no exception in making the healthcare system one of the most effective systems in
the modern world. Hierarchy and power distribution are part and parcel of the Australian
Healthcare system. This power is distributed at all levels of the healthcare system starting from
the topmost ministry of health to the smallest unit of this system. This paper, therefore,
examines the entire Australian healthcare system, how power is distributed and various sources
of power and authority.
As any society around the world, medical practitioners have to be organized and
function in respect to authority that exists. This is where sociology comes in with theories and
concepts of what is acceptable and in what way. These sociology theories and concepts are
accepted globally and are practiced widely around the world. This paper, therefore, evaluates
these theories and their applicability in the Australian healthcare system.
Hierarchy and power distribution has an effect on the functionality of the whole system.
This effect is extended to how individual medical practitioners carry out their duties and hence
their performance. This paper, therefore, examines the effect that hierarchy and power
distribution has on a medical practitioner at a professional and personal level.
Hierarchy and Power Distribution in Medical Facilities
Australia is among the leading countries in providing sound and quality healthcare. This
has been enabled by proper organization and management of the facilities concerned with the
provision of health care in the country. This country follows a strict hierarchical or
organizational structure in placing of administration staff, doctors, nurses, and low-level
executives. Below is a hierarchical order of a typical Australian hospital showing different levels
of power from the topmost senior medical officers to an intern (Hierarchystructure.com, 2018).
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 3
Theories and Concepts Applicable
Healthcare system arrangements differ all-over the world. There quality effectiveness of
this crucial society is the qualified workforce, provision of quality medicine, functional
equipment among other services offered by the administration staff. There exist theories in
sociology that enable us to view the social world from different perspectives. These theories
exist to explain a particular phenomenon in society and help in predicting how different
situations will work in the world we live in. functionalist theory is discussed below in relation to
the functionality of the healthcare system in Australia.
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 4
Functionalist Theory
This is a theory that was developed by Spencer, Durkheim, Parsons, and Merton to
explain how a society is structured. The theory also makes an effort in explaining how a society
is arranged and how it functions. It explains a society as interconnected parts that work to
complement each other for harmony and social order. These parts work to maintain a balanced
state of any society and equilibrium as a whole without chaos and conflicts. This can be
reflected to represent healthcare society where different departments come together with the
main aim of providing quality healthcare for a healthy nation. Functionalist elaborates more to
state that each institution in the society is there to contribute important functions (Trueman,
2015). Healthcare is a major function in the society which is provided by hospitals which can be
referred to as social institutions in this case. Healthcare society is there to offer sound
healthcare for a healthy society and the nation in general.
The interconnectedness in the functionalist theory is explained by the effect one part of
society brings to the other. In healthcare, for instance, poor organization of its structure will
lead to poor service in the healthcare system which will lead to an unhealthy society in-turn.
This will reduce the productivity of the members of the society which will lead to negative
impacts in the society economics (Trueman, 2015). The interconnected is seen when all players
in the system play their roles as expected of them. This means the doctors, nurses and other in
this society work as a team to achieve a common goal which in this case is a quality healthcare.
This has been seen in the Australian healthcare system and therefore making it one of the most
effective healthcare system around the world (Hildreth & Anderson, 2016).
The functionalist theory uses two words to explain the systems within a society which
are functional and dysfunctional. Systems are referred to as functional when they contribute to
the element of social stability. Well organized and sound healthcare element of a society will be
regarded as functional as it contributes to the stability of the society. It can also be
dysfunctional when its management is poor and disrupts the stability of the society (Trueman,
2015). Australian healthcare can be termed as functional as it is among the best service and
well-advanced systems in the world. Much effort in this system has seen fascinating innovations
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 5
such as the cochlear implant or the popularly known as the bionic ear which happened here in
the country. This is a gadget different from the hearing aid as it helps the totally deaf. It
changes the natural sound and sends it electronically to the brain as a coded message (Collyer,
1994).
Sources of Power
The main purpose of the distribution of power in the healthcare system is to serve the
ailing patients in a systematic and an organized way. Any decision made in a healthcare will
have an impact on the patient and to the society in general. There are several sources of
authority and power to the medical department that have an impact on the whole healthcare
system.
Legislative source of authority is the authority provided by health acts and also the
constitution that recognizes the legitimacy of the various health practices. The purpose of the
legislation is to carry out practices that guide the performance of the whole healthcare system,
for instance formation of regulatory boards and defining the extent of medical practices in the
country. Legal frameworks exist to describe the accepted standard of service delivery. Licensing
to limit access professionals are provided by legislation and thus creating a hierarchy in the
healthcare profession. These licenses give permission to participate fully in the profession and
also come up with serious obligations and power allocations (Callahan, 2010). A good example
of such legislation is the Victoria act (2009) which is a national law regulating health
practitioners. This act saw the establishment of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation
Agency (AHPRA). This agency was given power and authority to formulate and administer
procedures necessary for the efficiency in the operation of the Australian healthcare. It was also
given the mandate of supporting and assisting the National Boards and Committees in carrying
out their operations in serving the nation.
Professional sources of power are evident after the legislations source of power through
professional campaigns of power. Professionals given a mandate or a duty will attempt to
influence for additional authority among other professionals or at the societies stage. This is
because success and failure in a certain department have more implications as you move high
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 6
in the hierarchical order (Callahan, 2010). This, therefore, causes the societies to fight for
authority as a way of getting credit for the success of healthcare or to improve on service
delivery on checking of standards. Australian medical board and Nursing and Midwifery Board
of Australia are good examples of boards that certify doctors and nurses that are eligible to
carryout health practices according to in line with their qualifications. The Medical Board of
Australia works hand in hand with AHPRA protects the public through regulation and licensing
of the healthcare workforce. This is aimed at ensuring only those practitioners that are well
trained and qualified work in Australia in line with the Health Practitioner Regulation National
Law. These two bodies have been established by the constitution and are in them they have the
power to bestow authority to an individual practicing in this field.
Another source of power in health societies is the Judicial allocations of power. In case
there is a disagreement between various parties with a mandate of controlling a certain service,
this gives rise to lawsuits being filled in courts of law. Most of the lawsuits concern the
healthcare power allocations and in most cases, these societies are in pursuit of being given the
power to control certain procedures, diagnoses, treatments or all the operations in the medical
market. Courts, in this case, may reward one party with powers in regards to their medical
licenses while still protecting the rule of law and quality healthcare service. Courts also may
dismiss any attempt to bar a service delivery aimed at the provision of a sound and quality
healthcare or the doctor-patient relationship (Callahan, 2010). Patients may also help in altering
power allocations in healthcare systems through malpractice claims. This may affect a single
professional or the entire healthcare society involved in such a claim (TheConversation.com,
2018).
Impacts of Hierarchy and Power Distribution
Hierarchy in any organization or society is established to see that there are coordination
and social order. This sees that the organization is working in one direction with a common goal
with effort of all the participants. Inherent problems in an organization are solved amicably by
the person who is most suited to do so which eliminates chaos and uncertainty for the whole
body. This brings about satisfaction when it comes to the need for a structure, order, and
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 7
stability. This works well for a medical practitioner as all duties of a professional are delineated
and assigned (Callahan, 2010). This facilitates coordination effectively within a system and
social groups especially where a group is composed a many people with different
responsibilities which is the case of an Australian healthcare system. Here a medical
practitioner needs to take responsibility for his own action.
Another positive impact of hierarchy and power is that it acts as a motivation function
to a health practitioner. One feels the need to perform his duties accordingly and impress the
authority so as to be promoted. This is because apposition high n the hierarchical order is
associated with more material rewards, comfort and psychological satisfaction (Callahan, 2010).
This will motivate an individual working in a healthcare system to work exceptionally well which
will act for the greater good of the healthcare society and the nation.
On the negative side, power allocation can affect the accessibility to quality healthcare.
Advanced caregivers and professionals, well-equipped health facilities and advanced
technologies may be out of reach in some parts of the country. This will affect both the patients
and the medical practitioners working in those regions. For medical practitioners, they are
unable to carry out necessary tests for diagnosis and treatment purposes. They may also find it
hard to find a specialist in a certain area to be advised accordingly and therefore this may
hinder functionalism of the whole society (Kenny, 2004).
Another negative impact of hierarchy and power to a person at a low position on the
hierarchical order, may find it difficult to relate well with the seniors. Orders usually follow a
chain of command and therefore in most cases, the juniors don't have the questioning power
on why a certain decision is made. This, therefore, can limit a health practitioner to work within
the limits of the guidelines rather than exploiting full potential which might be of greater help
to the society (Hildreth & Anderson, 2016).
A medical practitioner may feel de-motivated when a person of a high rank and power
does not appreciate his or her effort in delivering the service. This can also happen when all the
credit and success of a certain action by the practitioner is directed to his senior. This may
impact the productivity and the service delivery of the practitioner in a future project and in his
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 8
or her daily operations. A junior practitioner may also feel inferior in contributing to an issue
where a person of higher authority is taking part in the discussion. This undermines
contribution by all members involved and may also hinder creativity and innovations. (Hildreth
& Anderson, 2016).
Conclusion
Just like any other society or body, hierarchy and power are intrinsic in the healthcare
system. Definition of hierarchy and power and relation to society has been covered in depth in
this essay. A hierarchical order of a local health facility has been provided to illustrate on
different levels of power and the responsibilities attached to this power.
This report has also examined functionalist theory where healthcare can be categorized
as functional or dysfunctional through considering its effectiveness. Impacts of hierarchy and
power distribution have also been discussed in relation to medical practitioners, patients, and
society at large. In discussing the impacts, matters concerning patient-doctor relationship have
also been outlined and how this relationship can be enhanced.
There exist different sources of power in healthcare in Australia and around the world.
Sources discussed in this essay include through legislation where power is outlined in health
acts and the constitution, judiciary source where a court of law may pass a ruling bestowing
power to a certain society and through professional sources where a body may influence its
way to the top.
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Hierarchy And Power in Australian Healthcare 9
References
Callahan, P. M. (2010). Power Allocations and Professional Hierarchy in the Illinois Healthcare
System. DePaul Journal of HealthCare Law, 13(2):217-235.
Collyer, F. (1994). The case of the Bionic Ear. Medical Dominance in the Australian Health
System , 11(1):1-12.
Hierarchystructure.com. (2018). Australian Hospital Hierarchy | Management Structure Chart of
Australia. Retrieved from https://www.hierarchystructure.com/australian-hospital-
hierarchy/
Hildreth, J., & Anderson, C. (2016). Failure at the top: How power undermines collaborative
performance. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 110(2), 261-286. doi:
10.1037/pspi0000045
Kenny, A. (2004). Medical Dominance And Power: A Rural Perspective. Health Sociology
Review, 13(2), 158-165. doi: 10.5172/hesr.13.2.158.
TheConversation.com. (2018). My Health Record: the case for opting out. Retrieved from
http://theconversation.com/my-health-record-the-case-for-opting-out-99302
Trueman, C. (2015). Concepts of Functionalism - History Learning Site. Retrieved from
https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sociology/theories-in-sociology/concepts-of-
functionalism/
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