Medical Sociology and Anthropology Paper II(B)

Course Description

Course is designed to provide fundamental concepts in medical sociology and a-tnropology and to equip students with an ability to apply them in managing patient zars and health services. The course imparts the basic concepts and understanding in scaofogical/anthropological theories, culture and belief system. The course provides a respective on the importance of health politics and the health ethics.

General Objectives

Students will be able to

  • identify the general role of individual, family and community and sociological and anthropological variables determining the health status of the people;
  • analyse social relationship in practice of health and medicine and identify the sociological and anthropological determinants of the problems, management and outcomes;
  • collect, process, analyse, present and use subjective and objective data to identify the community structure, expresses/assessed needs of the patient and community;

Specific objectives

Unit I Basic Concepts

Students will be able to

  • explain the basic concepts of Sociology and Anthropology and appreciate its application in medical field
  • explain the terminology used in Sociology and Anthropology (for example social status, role, social stratification, cultural relativism, social process, ethnocentrism, norms, values, customs, belief systems, cultural- lag, ethno-medicine, self- medication, ethno psychiatry) and apply them in medical practice
  • Define and explain: nature, scope, and development of Medical Sociology and Medical Anthropology and its application in medical sector.
  • Trace the genesis, development and contemporary status of society and health issues.

Unit II Culture and Health

Students will be able to

  • Explain the meaning, definition and characteristics of culture applied to medical practice.
  • identify the Personalistic and Naturalistic medical system
  • Appreciate the value of Self-medication/alternative medication and other prevailing health care practices and its importance.
  • Appreciate and apply social importance of indigenous health care system and health care provider.
  • Analyze Cross-cultural examples including gender differences in these cultures on the concept of illness and healing practices in Nepal.

Unit III Doctor-Patient Relationship

Student will be able to

  • describe the meaning and interpretation of doctor-patient relationship
  • explain reciprocal roles of doctor-patient.
  • apply Parson’s sick role model and Szaaz and Hollender’s basic model of Doctor- Patient relationship
  • identify barriers and possible remedies in effective Doctor-Patient relationship

Unit IV Health Politics

Students will be able to

  • explain the concept and interpretation of health politics.
  • describe Comprehensive and Selective Primary Health Care and political Camps.
  • analyze the Impact of politics on health scenario.
  • identify the legal provisions of health in Nepal
  1. Dixit, Hemang. Nepal’s Quest for Health, Educational Publishing House, Kathmandu.
  2. Foster, George M., and Anderson, Barbora, G. Medical Anthropology
  3. Freeman, E. Howard, Levine, Sol, and Reeder G. Leo (edited(1979)): Handbook of Medical Sociology; Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
  4. Gartoulla, Ritu Prasad. An introduction to Medical Sociology and Medical Anthropology, RECID/N, Kathmandu.
  5. Gartoulla, Ritu Prasad. Therapy Pattern of Conventional Medicine, RECID/N, Kathmandu.
  6. Mechanic, D. Medical Sociology: A selective view, New York, The Free Press.
  7. Werner, D. and Bower W. Helping Health Workers Learn. Palo Alto, CA, Hesperian Foundation.