HOSPITALS:Medicine and Health Care

SOCIOLOGY PROJECT #2Rachel Leung, Sana Padival, Danielle Calzado

A little about the History of Hospitals..

● They first started as almshouses which did not only provide medical services but custodial care as well to the poor

● Pennsylvania Hospital was the first hospital in the US● Hospitals originally treated mainly the poor● The middle class and upper class were treated at

home● Medical procedures became more complex, the field

became more professional therefore the market began to become really competitive

Participants of Hospitals

Patients: People who get medical attention

Providers: Those who offer medical care to the patients

Payers: Those that pay providers for medical services, these include insurance companies and the government

Vendors: Those who sell medical equipments and pharmaceutical goods

Consider..

Hospitals and Health Care: How accessible are they?

● Why do we need healthcare?● Who benefits from it?

● Is healthcare the same in different institutions? (Public/Private)● While receiving health care/benefits, who is prioritized over who?

The two Possible approaches to perceiving hospitals in society:

● Functionalist approach● Conflict Theorists’ approach

A Functionalist Approach

● Effective medical care is a necessity of society if it is supposed to run smoothly

● Everyone should be able to access medical care● Everyone should have access to hospitals● When people fall sick and don’t get adequate help from

professionals, they miss their normal work schedule and this causes a disruption of society

A Conflict Theorists’ approach

● Social inequalities are reflected in health care received-this is normal and is how our society functions

● These inequalities can be due to race, economic stability, gender & education in some cases

● One’s nationality can affect this as the quality of hospitals and medical care is not the same in all countries

● People with full insurance coverage might be treated before those without insurance if the two are under the same circumstances

● Ex: Do the homeless receive the same quality of healthcare that a non-homeless person does?

How do members of the institution perceive itself (its own institution)?

They believe they are doing a great job. They have claimed the medical services they provide are safer, more effective, and more efficient. They also claim that they have been providing services in a timely manner, that it is patient-centered, and is more equitable. This is misleading because while the services may have improved, they are still not good enough to meet the actual needs. People still have to wait a ridiculous amount of time to receive assistance. Those who need medical services the most cannot afford to do so. Even as of now we would also see news about medical mistakes that have worsened the patients’ conditions and even caused death. They can claim that there are all these improvements but they still have a long way to go before being able to meet the actual demands.

How have hospitals changed over time?

● The desegregation of staff and patients. ● Technological advantages required less hospital stays for current patients. Allows to

discharge the patient sooner as well as decreasing the patient’s medical bills.● Medical research is consistent which gives an updated information on novel or

current studies. ● According to the Affordable Care Act, hospitals are required to provide an efficient

care at a lower price for their patients. ● Doctors are not the only providers of medical care, the emergence of nurse

practitioners helped create somewhat of the equivalent job of a doctor that can diagnose and prescribe medicine.

● Consideration of having a 24/7 hour visiting for the emotional support of a patient.

What has caused hospitals to change?

● Patient segregation: People were segregated in hospitals based on race up until the 1960s and better amenities were provided to white people (Does this remind you of high income families today?). This was inhumane and was changed over time.

● Lengthy stays: Women in labor were forced to stay for 10 days after giving birth instead of 24 hours in today’s time! This wasted a lot of manpower and resources.

● Lack of respect for patients (quality of service): Patients need and wants were disregarded, but this has gotten better today, where nurses empower patients to fight!

● Patients MUST see doctors: This was something that was believed back in the day, but now nurse practitioners can diagnose various diseases and do initial checks to determine if patients need doctors’ help.

● Smoking in Hospitals: This was something that was allowed back in the day and naturally it was changed as smoking is a fire hazard in hospitals, not to mention the risk factor it causes for other patients.

Does your institution work better for some members of society

(as opposed to others)?

There was an interesting trend. In the 1960’s, wealthy people got more medical services than the poor. Then in 1977 after Medicare and Medicaid , the poor received 14% more medical services than the rich. By 2004, the rich increased their medical services by 20%. As of 2012, the rich has used 40% more medical services than any other groups. Clearly, hospitals work better for wealthier people as they are able to afford it. While it would make sense that poor people will require more medical services, they are unable to afford to do so if they go to the doctors every time they have an issue.

Plans to help improve hospitals

● Pro-bono works little to no reduce cost to help other individual pay off additional prices● Make medical services more affordable to everyone● Provide medical services in a need-base instead of wealth-base which is the current situation● Medical services should be provided at a timely matter, in the current situation, people might

have to wait for 6 hours to be treated● Encourage people to enter this field, the wait times are long because there is not enough staff

to meet the demands ● Educate people, not all situations require immediate medical attention, some can easily be

treated at home● Pharmacies also provide other services like a small clinic with screen testings and vaccinations ● Creating a copay policy will let patients pay for a lower price rather than a full price ● Free clinics should not only be available for low-income families, but as well as homeless

people

Conclusion

Healthcare is an absolute essential in society. Low-income families shouldn’t be denied of their medical necessities because they simply can’t afford it, but rather offer plans at an affordable cost. Financial status shouldn’t cause a hindrance to live a healthy life. When people get better healthcare, they are motivated to perform better in life, inspiring many people to be successful doctors and this positive feedback loop can benefit our society, increasing its economy and bridging the gap between high and low income families.

WORKS CITED● http://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/13-1-sociological-perspectives-on-health-and-health-care/● https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-social-problems/s16-01-sociological-perspectives-on-h.html● Lavis, John N., and Gregory L. Stoddart. “Can We Have Too Much Health Care?” Daedalus, vol. 123, no. 4, 1994, pp. 43–60. JSTOR,

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20027266.● Rannels, Herman W., et al. “The Community Hospital and Regional Health Care Responsibilities: How to Do It!” Medical Care, vol. 13,

no. 11, 1975, pp. 885–896. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3763436.● https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/nurses-institutions-caring/history-of-hospitals/● http://www.mahesh-vc.com/blog/understanding-whos-paying-for-what-in-the-healthcare-industry● http://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/78(6)803.pdf● https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/#item-public-private-health-spending-grown-

substantially-public-spending-grown-faster_2017● https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/quality-us-healthcare-system-changed-time/#item-staff-response-hospitalized-patien

ts-improved● http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/themes/hospitals● Davidson, Tish. "Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)." Consumer Health Care, edited by Brigham Narins, vol. 1, Gale,

2014, pp. 21-23. Gale Virtual Reference Library● http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3189500020/GVRL?u=pasa19871&sid=GVRL&xid=0c4b8aa5. Accessed 20 July 2018.● www.webpt.com/blog/post/pro-bono-work-the-good-the-bad-and-the-billing.● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803534/● https://www.pm360online.com/the-pharmacys-new-role-in-providing-healthcare-services/● https://ldi.upenn.edu/brief/effects-aca-health-care-cost-containment ● https://www.healthcareguys.com/2016/02/25/biggest-ways-healthcare-changed-last-century/ ● https://www.huffingtonpost.com/steffie-woolhandler/health-care-inequality-on_b_11351350.html● https://www.hhnmag.com/articles/3885-six-ways-health-care-has-rapidly-changed