Sociological Theories and Concepts in Health Care Systems in Australia

Running Head: HEALTH SOCIOLOGY
Sociological Theories and Concepts in Health Care Systems in Australia
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HEALTH SOCIOLOGY 2
Introduction
Currently, it is mandatory that healthcare professionals coherently write their reports
through keen consideration of the existing theories and research. Health systems should be one
of the major concerns of the government of Australia (Ryan & Deci 2011). Sociology offers
essential social methods which are applied by healthcare officers and nurses in the process of
attending patients. The study also involves discussion on sociological theories where there are
various sub-theories like symbolic interaction theory and conflict theory. From these sociological
theories, we get to learn and evaluate the social interactions, relationships, and behavior of
individuals in the country.
This paper will evaluate the implications of the sociological theories to the healthcare
systems. These are theories which are continuously used by healthcare practitioners especially
upon coming across a patient who is in critical condition as they facilitate the offering of best
healthcare services which can significantly improve the health condition through formulating
appropriate decisions. Health institutions are typically structured as a dominance hierarchy
characterized by a group of people or individuals with more power and authority than others. The
subsequent levels represent lesser authority and power indicating that power is distributed
unequally in every society. The hierarchy of power adopts a pyramid-like structure whereby
individuals at the top are few and powerful while those based in the down of the authority do not
possess much power. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the sociological theories
and concepts as well as their impacts on healthcare practitioners.
Sociological Concepts
Sociology is a broad field which is composed of various concepts. The most common
ideas include socialization, social order, and social stratification. The definition of the three
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HEALTH SOCIOLOGY 3
concepts differs from one theory to another, but the meaning remains unchanged. The
socialization concepts involve the communal values and norms which are taught to children by
the adults. The rules, perceptions, and costs are passed from one generation to another through
the socialization technique, and they are mostly used to define community (Mulkay, 2014). The
norms and values provide teachings to society and dictate the behavior of the individuals as well
as explaining what is expected of them. The expression of individuals is determined through the
norms and values and used to prepare the young in society. The socialization concept argues that
individuals who are well mannered are potentially raised in a culture which does not observe the
outlined values and norms. Such characters do not understand what is right and what is wrong
explaining why they end up hurting their colleagues.
The socialization process usually comes as primary socialization whereby the young
generations are taught about the existing social norms and values by either family members or
caregivers. Parents have a crucial role in implementing socialization concepts among the
children as they show them on how to behave towards other people through socializing with
them and not discriminating the poor in society. Social order is a concept which is related to the
socialization process through the community following the established norms and values. It also
incorporates passing the norms and values from one generation to another through the
application of the socialization process (Annandale, 2012). The concept describes how society
can progress in the right direction by ensuring that good behavioral practices are observed.
Social stratification is also a fundamental concept of socialization which pertains the structured
inequalities and unequal distribution of resources in the society in situations where some
individuals are capable of acquiring more than others. The concept defines divisions in the
community where individuals are classified into either upper, medium or lower class. The high
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HEALTH SOCIOLOGY 4
level comprises of individuals or group of people who have more resources and knowledge while
the small type is described by poor social, economic backgrounds and in most cases cannot
afford social amenities such as education and healthcare services. The socialization concepts are
also employed in the definition of power hierarchy in a healthcare setting.
Hierarchy of Power in Healthcare
Most healthcare systems are hierarchical in the current healthcare settings across the
world. In Australia, health care facilities are run by professionals who are arranged based on
their ranks. Professional hierarchy in healthcare is established when participants in the sector
realm work to define the practice of medicine. The healthcare of the country observes a strict
hierarchical structure in deploying hospital staff at different areas of the health centers based
their qualities and qualifications to ensure that patients receive improved services. The current
healthcare system comprises of healthcare professionals, administrative staff and lower rank
executives who make the system portray a hierarchy of power. In this context, the hierarchy of
power implies that different people possess different legal powers or authorities that ensure that
activities are run swiftly in the Australian healthcare sector. Healthcare professionals give
directions to their subordinate staff and instruct them on how to conduct given activities
expectedly. The professionals are also ranked at different levels in a way such each of them
answers his or her head and the first executive answers to a particular board that regulates the
activities of specific healthcare. Intrinsic in the context of a hierarchy of power implies the
necessity of individuals belonging to a particular position where they can use their power to
better the operations of the current health care system in Australia as well as globally.
Sociological Theories in Health Care
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