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The importance of sociological research in the care of the terminally ill
Author(s) -
BASSETT CHRISTOPHER
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
european journal of cancer care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1365-2354
pISSN - 0961-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2354.1992.tb00138.x
Subject(s) - terminally ill , medicine , health care , nursing , function (biology) , health professionals , welfare , position (finance) , palliative care , law , finance , evolutionary biology , political science , economics , biology
Social scientists are not the first group that one thinks of when considering the contributions made towards the welfare of the dying patient. Most people would think that the nurse or doctor occupies the most vital position to the patient. This is perhaps true. However, I would argue that the sociologist is instrumental to the effective function of the health team. It is in areas such as the social structure of death, the exact nature of relationships within the health matrix, and the organization of health provision for the terminally ill patient that sociologists contribute most. They are, I believe, essential to help health‐care professionals carry out their work in the most effective way possible.