unit 1 Flashcards
medical anthropology
the study of relationships between health, medicine, illness, and culture
what does culture refer to?
the shared beliefs, practices, and traditions within a community
Questions that medical anthropologists ask
What kinds of religious beliefs shape the healthcare decisions that people make for themselves and their families?
Methods that medical anthropologists use:
interviews, ethnographic/participant observation, surveys
Relativism
different people and communities hold different beliefs, which are no less valid or worthy than one another
pluralism
the practice of accessing care from multiple medical systems, such as biomedicine and Indigenous healing system
medicalization
the notion that we turn ordinary human experiences into ‘diseases’ to be cured
ex: grief
emic
the viewpoint of people within a culture about their own experiences, values, and practice
etic
the viewpoint of people outside of that culture about it
disease
the biological or pathological understanding of a disease, including what caused it, how to diagnose it, and medical interventions to treat it
illness
someone’s lived experience of health or disability; how they feel, and the stories they tell about the experience
sickness
the social role that someone takes on when their health is affected, and how society views such roles
what are the 4 components of all cultural medical systems?
etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention
Psychological anthropology
using the theories of anthropology and applying that to psychology
Ethnopsychology
the study of relationships among “cognitive, communicative, social-institutional forces” as well as conceptual models of “indigenous understandings of ‘self’, ‘personality’, ‘motivation,’ and the like
Developmental ethnopsychology
appropriate/inappropriate behaviors, cognitive-emotional expressions, abilities, and responsibilities at certain ages or life stages
Cross Cultural human development
What does it mean to be a good person in a particular place? To be a “healthy” person, or have a “well-being?”
How does society shape its values, beliefs, rituals, and practices to develop one into a good person as they grow up from conception through death?
Economics
a financial and social system of how resources flow through society, the study of the choices that people, companies, and governments make in allocating society’s resources
Economic theory
“maximizing your own gain”
Capitalism
“free-market system,” private ownership, economic freedom, and fair competition
Socialism
system based on principle that the gov should own and operate key enterprises that directly affect public welfare
Communism
system that calls for public ownership of virtually all enterprises, under the direction of a strong central government
GDP
measure of the total value of goods and services produced within a nation’s physical boundaries over a period of time
Healthcare spending
Why does the US spend more on healthcare than any other developed nation?
Why are doctors driving the increase? Is it their fault?
Are there things we can learn from other countries?
Movement toward increased price transparency
Free market (capitalism vs. socialist or more gov controls)
US Healthcare System (key takeaways)
Providers increase demand for healthcare
Individuals have a lack of coverage, and physicians do not know if you have hit your deductible
Physicians may order more testing because they do not want to misdiagnosis and risk a lawsuit
Insurance companies often require pre-authorization or deny procedures or medication before other treatments are tried
Medicare for All and price transparency
For-profit hospitals
Allopathic medicine
a system in which medical doctors and other health care professions treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery (used by the US)
History of IRB and bioethics rules
Originates off hippocratic oath: “do no harm”
WWII: Nuremberg Code (1947)
Willowbrook experiments (1956): children used as research subjects
Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972)
Declaration of Helsinki (1964)
Belmont report (1979)
Informed Consent
process in which a healthcare professional educates a patient about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a given procedure and intervention
Health policy
decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society (ex. medicare/medicaid, school immunizations, Roe v. Wade)
Housing & Health: Redlining
Graded neighborhoods for desirability
Lending encouraged areas with predominantly white, affluent populations
Immigration Poly & Health
Entitlement to healthcare benefits
How Health Policy is Formulated As Federal Legislation
A bill is introduced in Congress (legislative branch)
If the bill is passed, regulatory agencies begin drafting rules and regulations to enforce the law
If a law is challenged on legal grounds, the Supreme Court (judicial branch) intervenes to interpret the law or overrule it
Stakeholders: lobbyists, think tanks, industry, government groups, consumers
Policy Analysis
Define the problem, identify significance, underlying values, data gaps, etc.
Uses case studies, reports, public health data sources, etc.
Rational analysis
single “best” policy truth based on market economy, objectivity, most benefit for least cost
Nonrational/interpretivist/constructivist analysis
multiple competing truths, context critical, “best fit” within context
Critical analysis
consider social and historical concerns, effect to transform social relations in specific way, requires diologic and questioning process (marxist)
Queer bioethics
specialized field that integrates principles of bioethics with insights from queer theory (and others) to address and analyze ethical issues in healthcare and biomedical research, particularly as they related to LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities
queer theory
History of the word “queer”: odd → slur → reclamation
Critiques: jargon, overly-complicated, detached, inaccessible
Characteristics
Deconstruction of norms
Challenge binary understanding
Socially and historically contingent
Intersectional
Performative
Resistance and anti assimilation
Getting comfortable with discomfort
Human communication
a subset; interactions between people (not animals) using symbols (language and behavior) which is transactional (interaction by both parties), multidimensional, and affective
Diffusion theory
the process by which innovations spread (diffused) through a group or society
Change agents
encourages opinion leaders to adopt/reject innovations)
Gatekeeper
controls the flow of info to given people and groups
Opinion leader
well informed, passes info along to others either formally or informally, using interpersonal communication channels to similar others they represent
Epistemology
theory of knowledge, more focus on interpretation > positivism
