Sociology: An Introduction for Nurses, Midwives, and Health Visitors focuses on the approaches, principles, and methodologies involved in sociology, including health care, patient care, social class, educational achievement, and kinship.

Part I Introducing Sociology 1 The Relevance of Sociology 1.1 Why Sociology? 1.2 What is Sociology? 1.3 Issues and Problems in SociologyPart II Introducing Health Care 2 Health Care from the Classical Era to the Present Day 2.1 Origins in Ancient Greece and Rome 2.2 Developments in Anatomy, Physiology and Public Health in Renaissance Europe 2.3 Major Developments in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 2.4 Major Developments in the Nineteenth Century 2.5 Twentieth Century Developments in Medical Knowledge and Health Care 2.6 Current Issues in Health CarePart III Using Sociology: Understanding Society 3 Population Structure and Change 3.1 World Population 3.2 Population Theory of Malthus 3.3 The Population in England and Wales 4 Family and Kinship 4.1 The Family in a Changing Society 4.2 The Family's Changing Structure 4.3 The Future of the Family 5 Social Class and Social Stratification 5.1 Concepts and Theories 5.2 Developments in Britain in the Twentieth Century 5.3 Developments in Socialist Societies 5.4 Social Class, Stratification and Ideology 5.5 Social Class and Health 6 Education 6.1 What is Education? 6.2 A brief Historical Overview 6.3 Social Class and Educational Achievement 6.4 Educational Policy: Equality of Opportunity and Equality of Outcome 6.5 School and Society 6.6 Educational Selection within Schools 6.7 Philosophical and Political Dilemmas 7 Religion and Secularization 7.1 Marx and Weber's Views of Religion 7.2 Religion in Contemporary Society 7.3 Religion and Total Patient CarePart IV Sociology Applied to Health Care 8 The Provision of Health Care 8.1 Relationship Between Health Care and Health Need 8.2 Sociological Studies of the Professions 8.3 Preparation for Professional Practice 9 The Experience of Being a Patient 9.1 Interpersonal Relationships Between Patients and Professionals 9.2 Pressures on Staff 9.3 Pressures on Patients 9.4 The Importance of Communication 9.5 Subjective Views of Patients 10 Sociological Aspects of the Care of the Mentally Ill 10.1 Challenges to the Concept of Mental Illness 10.2 The Anti-Psychiatry Approach: Contributions and Criticisms 10.3 Social Factors in the Causation of Mental Illness 10.4 The Social Experience of Being a Patient 10.5 Rehabilitation of Ex-Psychiatric Patients 10.6 Allegations of the Over-Use and Abuse of Psychiatry 11 Sociological Aspects of the Care of the Chronic Sick 11.1 The Characteristics of Chronic Illness 11.2 Care of the Chronic Sick in Institutions 11.3 Care of the Chronic Sick in the Community 11.4 Chronic Illness and the Quality of Life 11.5 Positive Goals of Care 12 Sociological Aspects of the Care of the Elderly 12.1 Who are the Elderly? 12.2 Where do the Elderly Live? 12.3 Theories of Ageing 12.4 Institutional Care of the Elderly 12.5 Types of Institutional Care 13 Sociological Aspects of the Care of the Dying 13.1 Death in Modern Society 13.2 Patterns of Death 13.3 Kübler-Ross: The Stages of Dying 13.4 Communication with the Dying Patient and his Family 13.5 The Place of Death 13.6 Care of the Bereaved 13.7 Education for the Care of the DyingPart V Conclusion 14 Nursing and Sociology: The Need for Critical Collaboration 14.1 The Sociological Contribution: A Review 14.2 Current Issues and Problems in Sociology 14.3 A Forward LookIndex