Health Terminology Flashcards
Iatrogenesis
Is any harmful mental or physical condition induced in a patient through the effects of treatment by a doctor or surgeon.
Epidemiology
The study of patterns, distribution, causes and effects of disease in human population.
Diseases of poverty
Diseases that are more prevalent in low-income populations.
Diseases of affluence
Personal lifestyles and societal conditions associated with economic development are believed to be an important risk factor
Clinical iceberg
The term “Clinical Iceberg” in sociology refers to the phenomenon where only a small portion of health problems are visible or known to healthcare professionals.
Sick role
The notion of the sick role theory is that those suffering from illness have different rights and responsibilities compared to those who are well. Parsons referred to those suffering from illness as deviants unable to function normally in society.
Social construction
Social constructionism theory suggests that learning and development are derived from one’s interactions with others
Identity
Identity refers to how individuals or groups see and define themselves and how other individual groups see and define them.
Stigmatised identity
An identity that is stigmatized is socially devalued with negative stereotypes and beliefs attached to the identity
Medicalisation
Medicalization refers to the process in which conditions and behaviors are labeled and treated as medical issues.
Gate-keeping
‘Gatekeeping’ refers to a system where patients require a referral from a primary care provider to access specialized medical services.
Social cohesion
Social cohesion refers to the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity among members of a community.
Health chances
The chances people have of enjoying a long and healthy disease-free life.
Status syndrome
Coined by Michael Marmot, health and longevity are intimately related to position in the social hierarchy. The lower the status, the higher risk of illness and death, and consequently the shorter the life expectancy.
Privatisation
Privatisation is a process where institutions or other bodies are transferred from being owned by the state to being owned by private companies.
Marketisation
Marketisation refers to the process of introducing market-based principles and mechanisms into traditionally non-market sectors, such as healthcare.
The inverse care law
People who most need health care are least likely to receive it.
Ageism
Ageism is discrimination against older people on the basis of their age. It involves making narrow judgements about the elderly based on stereotypes.
Total institution
It is an institution that controls almost all aspects of its members’ lives.
Mortification
According to Goffman, becoming an inmate in a total institution involves a process of “mortification of the self” – inmates are subjected to degrading and humiliating treatments designed to remove any trace of individual identity.
A master status
Master status in sociology refers to the social position that a person holds that is expressed in how they interact with society.
Primary deviance
Primary deviance is seen to consist of deviant acts before they are publicly labelled, and has ‘only marginal implications for the status and psychic structure of the person concerned’.
Secondary deviance
Secondary deviance is much more significant because it alters a person’s self-regard and social roles.
Altruism
Altruism is when we act to promote someone else’s welfare, even at a risk or cost to ourselves
