Hierarchy and Power in Australian Healthcare

This essay explores the relationship between hierarchy, power, and medical attention in the Australian healthcare system. It discusses the sociological perspectives of healthcare, the biomedical model, and the relevance of hierarchy and power in the care of patients with alcoholism and eating disorders.

Running head: HIERARCHY AND POWER IN AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE 1
Hierarchy and Power in Australian Healthcare
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

HIERARCHY AND POWER IN AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE 2
Introduction
Power and hierarchy are intrinsic in the Australian health care system and can be well
understood using sociology theories. Sociology is a branch of social sciences that deals with the
social life (Allen, Braithwaite, Sandall, & Waring, 2016). The knowledge of sociology is
essential in the health sector; since social factors influence the occurrence of health conditions.
Additionally, caregivers rely on sociological knowledge to determine the different treatment
methods according to the origin of patients. Medical conditions like alcoholism develop due to
the behavioral habits of the victims (Davies, Conroy, Winstock, & Ferris, 2017). The
sociological analysis of the health care system has different approaches called perspectives
which include functionalist, conflict, and interactionist. The efficient exercise of power enhances
the smooth running of the sociological aspects. Moreover, the health care hierarchy ensures
proper implementation of the perspectives in medical attention. This essay will explain the three
sociological concepts of healthcare. The paper will also explore the biomedical model of
medication. The model gauges the biological processes and uses the information to apply the
relevant treatment. The write-up will also discuss the concept of power and hierarchy in the
Australian system. The paper will determine how hierarchy and power help to manage the effects
of alcohol.
Sociology and the Perspectives of Care
The Perspective of the Functionalist
Sociology is a useful tool for caregivers as it helps them to understand the hierarchy and
the importance of power in a health facility. The perspective of the functionality of the healthcare
system assists the care provider to appreciate their roles at the health facilities (Walker, &
Peterson, 2017). As a health practitioner, I can understand the effects of alcohol and how to

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assist such patients. The sociological aspect retaliates that medical care and good health are
essential for the progress of the country. Therefore, the Australian government must empower
the healthcare professionals to provide quality treatment to patients. Additionally, an elaborate
hierarchy eliminates confusion and ensures fast delivery of medical services. When an individual
contacts a disease, the person assumes the “sick role” (Ward et al., 2015). The care provider has
the power of writing a medical letter to exempt the sick person from work. The understanding of
hierarchy also helps caregivers to attend to patients complaining about the effects of alcohol. The
psychiatrist advises the patient to stop the alcoholism addiction as the pharmacist issue drinks
prescribed by the physician. The Registered nurse has the responsibility of ensuring that the
patient takes the drugs according to the prescription.
The Perspective of Conflict
The sociological perspective addresses the social inequalities in the society. The quantity
and quality of care depend on the race, gender, and the economic class of the patients. During the
present day Australia, the level of patient's education is also a determinant on the quality of care
at the hospital (Mitrou et al., 2014). Highly educated members of the society have power and
high ranking in the community as opposed to those with little or no education. Therefore,
education impact individuals with knowledge about their status of health and appropriate
methods of treatment. On the other hand, less educated individuals lack sufficient understanding
of health (Sallis, Owen, & Fisher, 2015). An educated person understands the effects of alcohol
and can stop the habit of excessive drinking. On the other hand, the less educated person can
suffer from alcoholism due to lack of knowledge on the impacts of alcohol.
The Interactionist Perspective

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The perspective views ailments to be more than a health condition. The sociological
aspect states that social constructions are the primary causes of diseases. The interactions
between individuals make them have different views on the origins of complications (Zhou,
2014). Therefore, individuals can harbor false information about a disease due to misinformation
from an unreliable source. Uninformed individuals view alcoholism as a habit condition rather
than a severe health concern. People tend to stigmatize the people suffering from the effects of
addiction as they consider the patients to be victims of their wish. As a caregiver, understanding
the notion towards the alcoholics can help me to eliminate the stigma due to the complication.
Caregivers should take advantage of their hierarchy and power in the society to provide quality
treatment to patients.
The Biomedical Model
The model helps caregivers to issue valuable medical attention to patients but fails to
highlight the essence of power and hierarchy in the care. The biological model asserts that the
progression of a complication is due to the interference of the body’s biological processes
(Baum, Freeman, Lawless, Labonte, & Sanders, 2017). The concept separates the mind of a sick
individual from the mind. Therefore, it is possible to attend to a patient without considering the
external factors. The idea requires medical experts to conduct treatment due to their adverse
knowledge and skills on diseases. Additionally, medical technology should exist to ensure
adequate medical attention (Williams et al., 2015). The biological model considers one to be
healthy if their mental, social, and physical states are functioning well. Therefore, if individuals
lack an infirmity or a disease, they may still be sick. The model concentrates on the need for
quality treatment and does not mention the need for power in the care system. However, the two
aspects of hierarchy and authority are essential in medication.

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The model majors on diseases that infect individuals due to biological factors. However,
the biomedical concept also focuses on complications due to lifestyle habits such as alcoholism.
Therefore, the idea applies scientific methods to replace the traditional modes of treatment. The
model mandates medical practitioners with the responsibility of dealing with sick individuals due
to their verse training and experience (Schadewaldt, McInnes, Hiller, & Gardner, 2016).
Additionally, the government should equip hospitals with relevant clinical tools to facilitate
treatment. The model also gives doctors the power to exercise their skills on the ill patients. The
caregivers should refer to the concerns of the clients before conducting medication. Sociological
interactionists seek to find out how patients and physicians discuss the diagnostic process.
Recent research has exposed the conflict between the clients and the doctors on matters
concerning consultations. Patients prefer long patient-centered meetings while the physicians
root for short discussions (Baker, & Watson, 2015). Such conflicts can find a solution if the
healthcare sector factor in the power and hierarchy concepts.
The model has several disadvantages and has faced widespread criticism due to its
limited scope. Proper health encompasses power and is beyond poor treatment by the caregivers.
The government can ensure a healthy living by improving the hygiene and sanitation of the
citizens. Proper housing and nutrition also ensure that individuals lead a healthy life (Braithwaite
et al., 2016). The health stakeholders should apply their power to mobilize the government to
provide the above necessities for a disease-free nation. Prescribing the appropriate drugs to a
patient who is suffering from the effects of alcohol may not solve the condition permanently.
The alcoholic may resume his drinking habits if the psychiatrist does not explain the impacts of
alcoholism to the patient. Therefore, every health practitioner in the hierarchy of the hospital has

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a role to play in the recovery of a patient. A group of sociologists argues that medications can be
harmful to the patients due to the side effects.
Hierarchy and Power
Hierarchy refers to ranking individuals according to their positions in a given
organization (Anicich, Fast, Halevy, & Galinsky, 2015). On the other hand, power is the
capability of an individual to exercise will on a group of people. In the modern Australian
society, Hierarchy exists in almost all sectors of the economy including the health facilities. The
hospital has positioned the care providers in different positions to facilitate the provision of care.
Every practitioner has to take advantage of the hierarchy to provide quality medical attention to
the patient. The hospital administrator should take advantage of the high ranking to mobilize the
construction of specialized wards for specific ailments. Different rankings come with various
responsibilities. Therefore, the caregivers should ensure that patients suffering from effects of
alcohol take drugs in accordance to the physician’s prescriptions.
In the hospital setup, hierarchy concentrates on a central figure like the administrator.
The head physician then transfers authority down to the lowest level employees. The ministry of
health reviews the specialization of the caregivers before ranking them. Therefore, a highly
specialized physician ranks higher than the general practitioners (McInnes, Peters, Bonney, &
Halcomb, 2015). The senior employee facilitates the provision of quality care by offering
valuable instructions to workers at low ranks. The head nurse can instruct the psychiatrist to
attend to patients of alcoholism due to the relevance of their expertise. On the other hand, the
dietitian has the responsibility of attending to patients with eating disorders. Therefore, the
understanding of hierarchy ensures quality medical attention.

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Power has different descriptions according to different sociologists. Max Weber defines
authority as the capability to manage people, resources, or events (Krott et al., 2014). The
influential figure should ensure that the will comes into pass regardless of opposition, resistance,
or obstacles from the junior employees. A powerful hospital administrator should ensure that
patients receive quality medical attention regardless of the minimal resources. The head nurses
should also provide that the patients suffering from the effects of alcoholism abandon the habit
of paving the way for recovery. Efficient use of power also eliminates issues at the hospitals like
medication errors. The administrator should use the powers to supervise the activities of the
caregivers to ensure effective treatment.
Karl Marx looks at the concept of power regarding social systems and social classes. He,
therefore, believes that the social class commands all the power (Milios, & Dimoulis, 2018).
Thus, the provision of quality medical attention is dependent on the political goodwill of the
Australian government. The caregivers should use their positions to request for funding from the
national administration. Additionally, the leader of the country should use the power to ensure
equal medical attention to the citizens. Talcott Parsons believes that power originates from the
potential of the social system to manage resources and individuals for the achievement of set
objectives. Therefore, the healthcare system should control the medical equipment and the
caregivers to offer quality medical services to citizens.
Conclusion
Power and hierarchy are essential in the Australian health care. The sociological perspectives
further explore the relationship between the two aspects and medical attention for patients of
alcoholism and eating disorders. The views of the functionalists, conflict, and interactionists
explain the relationship between sociology and healthcare. The biological model concentrates on

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the biological aspects of medication but fails to explain the relevance of power and hierarchy in
treatment. Therefore, the model is appropriate but not complete in exploring medical attention.
Hierarchy and power ensure quality treatment if the stakeholders make use of the two concepts.
Hierarchy is the ranking of employees according to their positions. On the other hand, power is
the capability of an individual to exercise control over the others in an organization.

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