bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pharmacists in Patient Outcomes, Role of
Authors: Ballantyne Peri J. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractProfessional pharmacists provide a broad range of health care services and endorse the holistic practice model of “pharmaceutical care” as a means to optimize therapeutic and health outcomes for individual patients. Yet, evidence of how the public views the pharmacist's role is mixed. In this entry, selective evidence for three distinct outcomes deriving from pharmacists’ involvement in health care is discussed: patient satisfaction with health services; the level of patient knowledge or information about illness; and the level of adherence to prescribed medications. Mixed findings and specific concerns about the role of pharmacists in patient outcomes are revealed. Key implications are the need for detailed assessment of the integrity of study designs for capturing (the various possible) pharmacists’ impacts; and the possibility that members of the public require an ongoing relationship with a pharmacist in order to optimize the use of medicines for specific indications, and over the life course.
Arab World, Health Issues amid Turmoil
Authors: Maziak Wasim 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe Arab world is host to some 300 million people in 22 member states of the Arab League. It is in this region that humanity first learned the basics of civilized association, witnessed the birth of the three major religions, and ignited the spark of the European renaissance. Notwithstanding the complexity of generalizing to such a vast and diverse region, there is a striking sense of unity and destiny among Arabs, and an ironic commonality of problems facing them nowadays. At present, no Arab country, rich or poor, is free from internal strife, regional conflicts, or the threat of terrorism. Most Arab regimes until very recently have been based on some form of authoritarian governance, with no real participation by or accountability to the people. All this started to change, in a profound way, in 2011, as a wave of popular uprisings swept through the Arab world, toppling very strong regimes, threatening others, and pushing the rest towards serious democratic reforms. As population health is influenced much by the system of governance and level of engagement of the public in solving their own problems, the Arab Spring is expected to have a huge impact on people's health in the Arab world.
Medicalization
Authors: Conrad Peter , Waggoner Miranda 
Published: February 2014

AbstractSocial scientists have explored the topic of medicalization since the 1970s. Studied by sociologists, anthropologists, historians, feminists, and medical scholars, medicalization has become a common term in the social science and medical literature and to a degree in the public media. While it literally means “to make medical,” medicalization refers to a process in which previously non‐medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually as diseases or disorders. In this entry, we provide a brief overview of the development, characteristics, and consequences of medicalization over the past four decades.
Blood
Authors: Busby Helen 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe symbolic dimensions of blood have long been a subject of interest for social anthropologists and sociologists, as human blood has an extraordinary capacity to carry meanings related to life force and healing on the one hand, and danger and transgression on the other. Notable among those conducting sociological investigations of the latter kind was Richard Titmuss, who saw blood donation in terms of an enactment of an impulse towards altruism that was socially – as well as practically – vital. Today, millions of patients worldwide continue to rely on transfusion with blood components and on plasma derived products. Sociologists have found that blood is “good to think with,” and continuing dependence on it testifies to the interdependence of human beings, even in an age of biotechnological inventiveness.
Social Capital
Authors: Song Lijun 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe concept of social capital has grown into a burgeoning theoretical tool in multidisciplinary research and public discourse on health during the last two decades. The key figures who popularized this concept and stimulated its theoretical development include three sociologists, Pierre Bourdieu, James S. Coleman, and Nan Lin, and one political scientist, Robert D. Putnam. Their diverse definitions and operationalizations of social capital have stimulated extensive confusion and debate over its measurement and health consequences. Two perspectives are distinguishable (Song, Son, and Lin 2010; Song 2013a): the network‐based approach by Bourdieu and Lin, and the normative approach by Coleman and Putnam. The normative approach, Putnam's notion of social capital in particular, absorbed by public health researchers, has dominated the health literature. It is necessary to introduce these different frameworks of social capital and their applications in the health literature separately.
Madness
Authors: Wilce James M. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe importance of madness as a label with power, as a cross‐culturally variable set of experiences, as a window on complex human potentials, and as the subject of debate within the social sciences can hardly be overestimated. Is “madness” merely another name for “mental illness,” or is the mental illness label one among many symptoms of the medicalization of madness or even non‐conformity? How should we understand the variable manifestation of madness in the world's cultures? Given evidence of such variability, and of historically particular concepts of humanity and madness, the increasing global dominance of Western psychiatric models of madness demands attention. Finally, opportunities to apply social scientific insights to this complex phenomenon – for example, in the context of international aid organizations that may employ anthropologists – must be seriously considered, but approached with full awareness of the complexity and local variability of “madness” in whatever contexts social scientists are called to work.
Geographies of Space, Place, and Population Health
Authors: Twigg Liz 
Published: February 2014

AbstractRecently there has been a resurgence among epidemiologists, sociologists, public health practitioners, and geographers in attempts to understand what it is about place that influences health outcomes. Where a person lives is as important as who they are when it comes to explaining their health status. This entry focuses on the main debates which have dominated this topic over the last few decades, illustrating how early studies were concerned with estimating how much spatial variation in health outcomes could be ascribed to individual characteristics (composition) and how much was due to place effects (context). Attention then shifted to more theoretical arguments that challenged the simple composition versus context dualism. Here workers began to acknowledge the continual recursive interplay between people and places. Theoretical debates continue to focus on causal pathways within a complex framework which recognizes that social practice is undertaken recursively within social structures, and within places constituted at various scales in various ways at different times.
Third and Fourth Ages
Authors: Gilleard Chris , Higgs Paul 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
This entry outlines the terms “third age” and “fourth age” and the various ways this division of later life has been used. Beginning with a consideration of Laslett's use of the term “the third age” to define a new stage of life characterized as an era of personal fulfillment and “the fourth age” as a period of dependency, decrepitude, and death, the entry then describes other models of this division of later life, based on either chronological age, health, and functional status or a more cultural approach grounded in Bourdieu's concept of a cultural field. The entry concludes with a review of some of the criticisms that have been made of the third‐age/fourth‐age distinction and outlines some of the alternative reconceptualizations that frame the divisions of later life primarily as sources of inequality.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Stress
Authors: Irwin Jay A. 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
The health and well‐being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, including their stress experiences, is a growing field of study. This entry defines LGBT identities and summarizes the forms of stress that LGBT people are likely to experience in their lives. Evidence shows that LGBT individuals experience a wide variety of stressors, as well as stressors that are distinct to sexual and gender minority members. These stressors perpetuate LGBT mental and physical health disparities, such as suicidal behaviors, substance abuse, and depression. Limitations of the current research include a lack of inclusion of bisexuals and transgender individuals, as well as a reliance on large metropolitan areas for sample selection.
Patient–Healer Communication
Authors: Ruusuvuori Johanna 
Published: February 2014

AbstractPatient–healer communication is a social and reciprocal process of social interaction where the participants aim at attending to and solving the patients’ health related problems. Patient–healer relationships can be approached from a macro‐sociological perspective, depicted as mediating larger relations in society, or from a micro‐sociological perspective, where the focus is on the process of communication as it unravels in actual encounters of health care. It is widely agreed that communication is an important part of the healing process. This idea is in the focus of research on issues such as empathy and rapport, the ultimate aim being the development of the quality of communication in the hope of simultaneously enhancing the quality of care and, consequently, the health of patients.
Substance Abuse and Parenthood
Authors: McArthur Morag , Moore Tim 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
The substance abuse issues of parents invariably negatively affect their children. Parental substance abuse can impact on the family's level of connectedness, its ability to cope with adversity, and its capacity to provide the resources and protections which help children grow and develop. Often characterized by chaos and instability, the parent–child relationship can be problematic. Coupled with coalescing poverty, social isolation, and domestic violence, substance misuse can have long‐term consequences for children's health, well‐being, behavior, participation in education, and adolescent substance use. They are often at high risk of child abuse and neglect.
Location–Allocation Planning
Authors: Tomintz Melanie N. , Garcia‐Barrios Victor M. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe development of location–allocation models began in the 1960s. Different disciplines such as regional sciences, mathematics, and operational research as well as geography contributed to the foundation of location–allocation studies, and with this there was increased interest by health geographers. Location–allocation planning can be seen as planning support for new facilities or for optimizing existing facilities and is applied in different areas such as regional planning, retail, and public health care. The location of a facility is highly important, as it is a crucial factor in people accessing a service. Longer travel distances result in higher travel costs, and hence when the costs of travel (or time) reach a certain critical threshold people are less likely to use the service, emphasizing the importance of geography or distance–decay effects. Demand, supply, and accessibility are necessary to implement location–allocation models. Demand is defined as point locations, often referring to population (sub)groups; supply is defined as locations of facilities; and accessibility is either defined as Euclidean (straight line) distance or based on the road network between supply and demand. An advantage is that models can be customized to a particular application to meet specific objectives.
Neoliberalism and Health
Authors: Coburn David 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Neoliberalism is a market fundamentalist version of capitalism. Neoliberalism arose in the 1970s as a consequence of the rise of global corporate power. The Anglo‐American nations exemplify the more neoliberal societies. The more neoliberal of the rich nations have worse health than do the more social democratic countries. Laissez‐faire policies were enforced on poor and middle‐income countries globally. These policies had disastrous consequences for the work, family, and social life of many nations, brought frequent economic crises, and slowed down global health improvements. Neoliberal doctrines internationally have produced massive between and within nation inequalities in wealth and in health. The discipline of economics, focusing on economic growth and economic efficiency, tends to favor market‐oriented policies, while the non‐economic social sciences emphasize neoliberalism's inadequate social theory and its negative effect on population well‐being.
Health Psychology and Psychobiology
Authors: O'Connor Daryl B. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractHealth psychology applies theories and methods from across the entire discipline of psychology in order to better understand how our perceptions, beliefs, and behavior can maintain health or cause illness. Central to health psychology is the biopsychosocial model. This model proposes that health and illness are influenced by psychological factors and social factors as well as biological processes. In particular health psychology has made substantial advances in understanding how psychological factors interact with biological processes, which, in turn, result in physical health problems. One of the most important advances relates to the development of the field known as psychoneuroimmunology. Health psychologists have had a long‐standing interest in understanding the stress response as an important mechanism linking psychological processes to health outcomes. Over the last 25 years considerable research has shown that psychological stress affects numerous bodily systems and is linked to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Biopolitics and Biological Citizenship
Authors: Greenhough Beth 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Biopolitics refers to how, since the eighteenth century, Western governments have learnt to see their population in biological terms and sought to intervene in order to maintain the health of that population. Biological citizenship refers to any project whereby citizenship and belonging are defined in biological terms. Biological citizenship can be state led, based in biopolitical beliefs about the state's constituent population and interventions which focus on maintaining their health. It can also be citizen led, when individuals or communities draw on a shared biological identity to place claims on the state for support and recognition.
Geographies of Bioscience, Medical Technology, and Health
Authors: Greenhough Beth 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Bioscience, in the broadest sense, refers to the appliance of scientific theories and research methods to the study of life and living beings. Geographies of bioscience focus on how bioscience is transforming nature–society relations. Topics range from exploring the impact of bioscience in agriculture to a more recent concern with biomedicine and its impact on health and society. Geographers have studied bioprospecting and the global pharmaceutical sector; the production and global circulation of bodily commodities, patients, and medical professionals; the impact of biomedicine on people's day‐to‐day lives; and inequalities in access to the resources bioscience provides.
Medical Pluralism
Authors: Johannessen Helle 
Published: February 2014

AbstractIn all societies a variety of therapeutic health care options coexist, and in medical anthropology the concept of “medical plurality” refers to this coexistence. Available therapies differ from one locality to another: one can find any mixture of medical products, as well as various physical, psychological, and spiritual forms of therapy. Previously many of the available therapies were locally based, but today we witness a spread of techniques and products across the globe, and the emerging pluralism is not organized in stable medical systems. Instead, a number of networks on different levels and across levels can be found; these networks emerge in shared concepts and forms of praxis among lay people and in clinical and educational institutions but are never inhabited by stable and loyal populations of patients and healers. The medical pluralism of today can be conceptualized as open networks based on elective affinity that come into existence through praxis. When moving between different networks, sick persons, families, and health care providers juggle with issues of identity and the social as they seek solutions that may provide healing for the suffering body and at the same time provide for meaningful relations of the self.
Risk and Health Care
Authors: Hoeyer Klaus 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Risk relates to dangers which are not present and, as such, it invites a call for action and governance. This entry outlines some of the ensuing forms of risk management. Risk can relate to populations at large (who may be exposed to disease agents or involved in programs of screening or genetic or prenatal counseling) and to health professionals (exposed to dangers through their work) as well as to patients. After outlining the dominant features of risk management in relation to these three groups of stakeholders, the entry briefly describes some of the risks and dangers produced as an unintended consequence of risk management in the health services.
Family and Physical Health
Authors: Finerman Ruthbeth 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
While clinical studies tend to define “family and physical health” in terms of disease patterns among individuals sharing close biological or hereditary ties, the social sciences conceptualize this phenomenon in the broader context of culture, history, and macrolevel socioeconomic and political structures. Thus, in medical anthropology, “family and physical health” denotes all beliefs, behaviors, values, and roles which promote, sustain, or restore well‐being among a broad kin group that is linked by blood, marriage, contractual obligations, or mutual agreement. Thus, there exists significant variance between biomedical and cross‐cultural understandings of both physical health and family.
Competition, Managed
Authors: Light Donald W. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractManaged competition evolved largely in the United States as employers self‐insured in the 1960s as a way to control rapidly rising costs and as health maintenance organizations (HMOs) gained policy attention. It was developed in the 1970s to solve forms of market failure that occur when competition is applied to health care. It proposed competition between whole systems of care in which the competition was managed. The entry describes inherent flaws in the theory of managed competition and ways in which it was applied. Managed competition retains its appeal and influence, though little evidence supports its promise of less costly, more responsive, and better health care for a whole national system.
Countervailing Powers
Authors: Light Donald W. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractCountervailing power is a term describing the process by which dominance in the marketplace is countered by other powers, such as government regulation, various corporate interests, mass media, public opposition, and the like. This situation was seen in the medical marketplace when professional medicine's domination of the medical market was significantly reduced through federal legislation, the expansion of large business corporations, patient dissatisfaction, and cost constraints imposed by insurance companies and the federal government through Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Care Affordability Act.
Genital Cutting, Female
Authors: Makene Fortunata Songora , Boyle Elizabeth Heger 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Activists intervened to reduce the occurrence of female genital cutting practices (FGCs) on the basis of a right to health before the actual health consequences of the practices had been studied. This led to an exaggeration of the health consequences and a failure to differentiate among the different types of FGCs. In reaction, some scholars began to claim that the health consequences of FGCs were insufficient to justify eradication efforts. Others questioned whether countries should criminalize FGCs, arguing that this increased the potential harm by forcing the practices underground. Ultimately, a large‐scale, systematic study by the World Health Organization quieted the debate when it revealed that FGCs had serious health consequences, even in clinical settings.
Addiction and Health Care
Authors: Campbell Nancy D. , Netherland Julie 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Historically, addiction has been defined as a social problem, a medical problem, and a criminal justice problem. This range of definitions has led to the study of addiction by a variety of disciplines, including medical sociologists, sociologists of deviance or social problems, scientific and clinical researchers, and law enforcement and legal scholars. The relationship between addiction treatment and health care in the United States differs depending on the setting within which health care is delivered to addicted individuals, as well as the social, political, and legal context. The relationship between addiction treatment and health care is also shaped by legal and scientific definitions of addiction prevailing at the time.
Health, Workers’
Authors: Koh David , NAING LIN 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Many of the world's estimated 3 billion workers are employed in conditions which do not meet international health and safety standards. Approximately 2 million work‐related deaths and 330 million work‐related accidents occur every year despite global efforts to address occupational health and safety concerns. Creative methods of surveillance and management are required to address changing trends in the work and health landscape such as globalization, work in the informal sector, emerging health threats, migration, vulnerable workers, and discrimination at work. The workplace is an excellent platform for prevention of diseases, injuries, disability, and premature death, and also for health promotion. A holistic approach, combining health protection, disease prevention, health promotion, tackling social determinants of health, and reaching out to workers’ families and communities, is essential because the health of the worker is determined by a multiplicity of factors. These include occupational risks, social inequalities, health‐related behavior and lifestyles, and access to health services. Solutions to health problems of workers often require inputs and collaboration with partners beyond the health sector. There is potential to prevent and solve many occupational health and safety problems through incorporating workers’ health into policies of employment, social and economic development, education, trade, and environmental protection.