HSC210 Written Assessment: Australian Health Challenges and Solutions

This assignment addresses four key areas in Australian health. Question 1 explores postmodernist perspectives and their implications for health practice, analyzing one perspective in detail. Question 2 investigates the persistent issues in Indigenous health outcomes despite increased funding, providing examples to support the argument. Question 3 examines psychiatry as an institute of social control, drawing on sociological theories and applying them to the Australian healthcare context. Finally, Question 4 discusses the key benefits and limitations of e-health, providing a definition and illustrative examples. The assignment draws upon various scholarly articles and research to support the claims made in the responses. This assignment offers a comprehensive overview of critical health challenges and advancements within the Australian healthcare system, providing a strong understanding of the complexities and nuances of the subject matter.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 1
What insights do post-modernist perspectives provide and what might this mean for health practice?
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A high level response should identify the postmodernist perspectives and focus on analyzing ONE
perspective in relation to health practice. A high level response should not only explain what the
perspective is but how the perspective relates to health practice and what the implications are on
health practice in Australia.
Postmodernist perspectives mean where the social inquiry is very important and indefinite.
The term Postmodernist defines the concepts of the fluctuations in the various fields’ like-
art, economics, literature, music, health, politics, media, science, social philosophy and
theology etc. The modern point of view is the part of the knowledge of the tradition. It is
focused on the rational control of the people’s lives, values, morals, beliefs, and the sense of
aesthetic. Modern, logical, constructional thought are looking for the rationality,
development, growth, direct control by the findings of new things, originating, creating and
developing the idea of the rationality, growth, power and control (Thomas, et al., 2014). Post
modern thinking are doubtful and the incredulous in nature regarding the possibility of the
metanarratives.
There is various analysis and researches regarding various fields but main focus is in the
health practices. In the field of the health practices the postmodernist attitudes are
widespread. The many of the examinee come up with the view point that it is holistic in case
of the health. They are meant that in individual take responsibility for developing the health
process, reject medical authority, grasp the values of the consumerist, take the natural product
in spite of the chemical drugs, not believing that all illnesses would take medical from the
doctors and grip on the anti-technology sentiments. Through the study it sees that most of
individuals have faith in the science (Le Boutillier, et al., 2015).

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 2
Despite increases in funding, explain why in Australia, Indigenous health outcomes are still an issue?
Provide examples to illustrate your argument.
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A high level response should identify where there has been increases in funding to Australian
Indigenous health, before discussing how and why this remains an issue. A high level response will
draw on examples to support your claims
Indigenous Australians are those people that have the respiratory diseases, mental problems,
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and the chronic kidney diseases etc. are the health related
issues involved in the Australia. The continuous fall in the life expectancy and the health
status of the Australians are in the part of the ongoing effect of the centuries of isolation. The
indigenous health finds still an issue because of the lack of dedication towards the fair needs
of funding, gaps in the primary health care, the most dangerous thing is to lack of awareness
about the environmental health and the housing. So, these are the certain reasons behind the
issue or problem of the aboriginal fitness (Axelsson, et al., 2016).
To solve the problem one of the solution is to need more investment in the health care sector
for the Indigenous health. Also includes the growth of the workforce, as well as proper
knowledge on smoking, alcohol, nutrition and the maternal and child health care. In March
2008 the federal government was revealed the biggest increase in funding for Aboriginal
health programs and after few years provides the funding to the community controlled health
services for the execution of their culturally appropriate programs and campaign.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 3
Psychiatry can be viewed as an institute of social control. Draw on sociological theories and
examples to discuss this statement.
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A high level response will explain why psychiatry can be viewed as an institute of social control.
This should then identify what sociological theories can be drawn on to analyse this in relation to
health. At least one particular theory should then be further analysed to explain how and why this
statement can be true in the context of Australian healthcare.
Intellectual health facilities and the psychiatric specialist’s ethics and standards have moved
in the past many decades towards a representation of customer conditions and knowledgeable
the assent. It is not possible to find out that the how much changed come in practice. In cases
of the client behaviour that is ethical challenges for the clinics (Lönngren and Svanström,
2016). On the focus of the client sexual behaviour and the evaluation is on the sociological
theories of the soft compulsion remain valid.
There is interviewed conducted from the 98 men and women with the serious mental illness,
that made to know about the client experiences of choice, coercion and the spaces lies in
between. That pattern is confirmed by the theory of therapeutic social control but also give
directions for updating and expending it (Hayman, et al., 2019). Through the researches and
theory it found that there are four main strategies helped to influenced the behaviour of
clients that are – coercion, education, enabling and the conciliation.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 4
What are the key benefits and limitations of e-health?
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A high level response will briefly define e-health before discussing the benefits and limitations of
e-health. A high level response will draw on examples to illustrate their ideas.
E-health means an appearing filed in the interchange of medicinal information, public fitness
and the business, relating to the health services and the more knowledge about the carried or
intensified through the machineries that is related to health (Orne and Evans, 2015). In
Australia there is health related system known as the generally measured electric health
record. The Australian Government’s personally controlled the electronic health (e -health)
best scheme that was set in motion on 1 July, 2012. Now, persons registered on the e-health
record that is the safe electrical brief of the person’s crucial health information.
There are certain key benefits and the limitations of the e-health systems. First discussed
about the welfares of e-health schemes are as- there is proper health care services according
to the condition of patient that provides the safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness,
communication, education, efficiency and equity. For example – Clinical outcomes, which
means that its focus on the quality of care and patients safety. Now, discussed about the
limitations of the e-health are as Potential demerits of the e-health. That means issues related
to the finances, changes in the system of work, short time loss of the efficiency regarding
with the e-health adoption. There is also tension and worry about the safety and privacy, and
many other accidental outcomes. For example - adoption and execution of costs, maintenance
costs, loss of revenue etc. (Jacob, 2016).

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 5
How does ideology and politics shape health outcomes? Draw on examples such as the PBS to
illustrate your points.
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A high level response should define ideology in a political context. High level responses will also
discuss how political ideology can impact health outcomes, drawing on examples to illustrate their
ideas. The PBS should features as one example.
Policy making in the field of the health is depends upon the three ‘I’’s that is ideas, interests
and institutions. Public health researchers mainly focuses on the filling the gap between the
two things which will leads to the evidence based policy making. The policy is dependent on
the individual’s capabilities, organization and the levels of systems. Second main factor that
will lead to success of evidence that will affect the policy is to reveals the ideas, ideologies
and politics. Ideologies and the politics are the major cause for the evidence of policy.
Ideologies shape the system of the one’s belief. It is mainly useful let’s take the example of
it- The each and every policy systems and sub-systems have some characters that form the
alliance based on the ideologies or the political point of views (Muntaner, et al., 2012).
There are the two different and separate worlds that are the researchers and the policy makers
as- advocacy, alliances of the politicians, social scientists, researchers and on the other side
with the same point of view and ideologies in the each individuals groups. Let’s take the
example of the politics that the elections of the government could provide as an external
event that is responsible for the structural core.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 6
Certain mechanisms of functionalist theory are utilised today. Discuss what they are and highlight
the main assumptions and limitations of functionalism.
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A high level response should provide a brief description of functionalist theory identifying what
concepts of the theory are most relevant today in the context of healthcare. A high level response
will also explain both the assumptions and limitations of the theory in relation to health.
Functionalism is a theory regarding the nature and states of the mind. The functionalists’
theory based on the mental states that can be recognized by what they are doing in spite of the
by what they are made up of. For the philosophers the functionalism is the familiar and the
most receivable mind and cognitive science. In this theory there is a useful comparison of
minds with the computers. The main debate on this theory is that that it is superior to its
primary competitors. It is the traditional idea that stated the internal states of the mind that
what is thinking creatures (Muntaner, et al., 2012).
Assumptions of the functionalism theory that if the society consists of the intermediate
groups that shares the same values, norms then the society becomes the coherence in nature.
Here is the assumption of this theory the society is more coherence as whole, if the increases
the level of integration between the intermediate groups.
Limitations of the Functionalism-. Society always needs the certain functions and the tasks
perform to keep the society more stable. For example- Family sends their children on school
for the education, Schools depends on the government for the funding and provide certain
equipment to help the children educate. So, many tasks rely on the each other in the society to
perform the functions in the society (Mackenzie, et al., 2017).

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 7
What is medical dominance and how does the medical profession achieve medical dominance in
Australia?
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A high level response should identify what medical dominance is and how and why the
medical profession is able to achieve this. A high level response should also explain what
the possible implications of medical dominance are within the health context.
Medical dominance deal with the medical professions which controls the content, terms and
conditions of its work, it also controls the other health related jobs and the division of labour
in the health. It also controls the clients, control over the large sense of health care. It is the
health care that has been organizing in the traditional principles in health care system. In
Australia there specialized rank of medicine grips in Australia that provides the historical and
political advantages (Fox, et al., 2017). Willis’s in 1989, formative work on the medical
dominance that gives a large scale review in the medical relationships. Traditionally, in
Australia the medicines obtained its place of political and economic power through the
relationships.
The Australian health care system which directly affects on the general practitioners by
providing them power to the associates with the finances and commercial of health services.
This is mainly typified in their works within the health care system under Medicare Benefits
Schedule, where there it acts as the primary care services providers in Australia (Lönngren
and Svanström, 2016).

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 8
Explain the concept of discourse and explain how it is relevant to health and biomedicine in
Australia. Draw on examples to highlight you points.
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A high level response should provide a definition of discourse as it relates to health and
biomedicine. It should also provide at least 2 examples to highlight how and why this is important
to understand in the context of health.
Discourse means it is a group of thoughts or ideas or shaped the way of thinking which can
be recognized in written and verbal communications. It can also be situated in the larger
social structures. It is indicated a historically dependent upon the social system that gives the
knowledge and the meaning. It is differently substance in impacts. The discourse analysis is
the form of the disciplinary field of examination and trying to an increasingly most popular
research target for researchers in many disciplines that means it is focuses by the health care
researchers (Zhang, et al., 2015).
Discourse analysis directly helps and relevant to the health and biomedicine in Australia
because it produced the essential to challenging them. The report inquires many aspects of
the health policies and main focuses on the deficit discourse but main focuses on the deficit
metrics. The ways in which Australians are making uniform and statistically compared to the
non-indigenous Australians. In the report first it is examine the deficit discourse and
responses of it in the field of health (Mackenzie, et al., 2017). Another one based on the
strength approaches, reviews and the evaluations of the growing work from Australia and
internationally in the field of the health by taking the help of the strength based approaches.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 9
What is multi-culturalism and how might health needs differ for immigrants and refugees to people
who are born in Australia?
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A high level response should identify what multiculturalism is along with reasons for what their
health needs may be and why they might be different to people born in Australia. Response
should also details possible implication on healthcare in regards to this and draw on the research
and data to highlight your points
Multiculturalism means that it is represents the presence of more than one cultural or ethnic
group in the one society. In some conditions dispute arises between the person’s cultural
background and the healthy life (Norgaard, et al., 2015). In several cases, it means to
safeguard the culture. In health care situation every individuals anyhow of the cultural
differences starts and also understands that how culture influences the central principles on
which health care is based. It is important to keep in the mind of the communities’ culture
needs and the patients beliefs that will help medical professionals take a help of multicultural
uses to care.
Powerless populations, with increases of the diseases, infections and injuries and less
eruption to health care that feel the effect of the society and the discrimination, these thing
effects the quality of health care. Various health cares are issues like nutrition, impacted by
contexts of cultural. Patients care can be in danger when there is lack of cultural knowledge
with the health care practices.
There is difference between the Multiculturalism and the Australians, multicultural are the
different from the Whit-Anglo Australians (Zaman, et al., 2017). White-Anglo Australians
are the more powerful and the dominant as compare to the multiculturalism. Secondly, the
White- Anglo Australians are in the large in the population as whole in compare with the
multicultural society.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
Question 10
What are the social determinants of health and how do they help us understand the dynamics of
globalisation and inequity? Draw on examples in the Australian context to illustrate your key points.
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A high level response should identify what the SDH are and which ones are relevant to the context
of globalisation and inequity in health (in Australia). The response should also explain how the SDH
can help better understand globalisation and inequity and possible implications in relations to
health.
Social determinants of health means that situations in which individuals are instinctive,
produce, living, effort and eternities (Rahman and Hakim, 2016). The Social Determinants of
Health founds the solid facts 2nd edition and the Social Determinants of Health Inequalities
where the connection with the Australia is explained in the Australia’s Health 2016.
Globalization is the most important circumstances for the study of the common elements of
health. SDH are the situations in which every individual live and work and that will impact on
their living healthy life of the individuals Sardi, et al., 2015). The globalization in terms of the
health equity is not new nut in 1978, the landmark UN conference was held and the aim of
health for all by the year 2000. But in 2007 rather than development towards the aim, millions
of individuals die or are in disabled each year from consequences that are easily preserve or
treatable. There are two reasons to meant that health system is the SDH – The entire policy is
focuses on the SDH is that health that impacted by much more than the heath care. It is
important to health outcomes and that will reflect. Second one is how health care is properly
financed functioned as SDH.

STUDENT NAME_STUDENT NUMBER_ HSC210_Written Assessment
References
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colonisation and history. Journal of Population Research, 33(1), 1-7.
Fox, A. M., Feng, W., & Yumkham, R. (2017). State political ideology, policies and health
behaviors: the case of tobacco. Social Science & Medicine, 181, 139-147.
Hayman, N. E., White, N. E., & Spurling, G. K. (2019). Improving Indigenous patients’
access to mainstream health services: the Inala experience. Medical Journal of
Australia, 190(10), 604-606.
Jacob, K. S. (2016). Robert Spitzer and psychiatric classification: technical challenges and
ethical dilemmas. Indian journal of medical ethics, 1(2), 95-100.
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Rahman, A., & Hakim, M. A. (2016). Malnutrition prevalence and health practices of