The advancement in medical technology and its expansion has led to an improvement in the overall health of the entire population. However, there have been inequalities in health care where not everyone can have adequate access. Additionally, there has been a physician-patient bias in the provision of healthcare where patients from a certain group do not receive adequate care. According to the functionalist perspective, every aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to the overall functioning of the society. However, healthcare inequality causes a certain group to receive inadequate care causing malfunctioning of the society as a whole. Health care inequality is a social problem from the functionalist perspective because it causes a breakdown of one of the critical elements that hold society together.
Theoretical perspective
The theoretical perspective which I relate to most is the functional theory. According to the theory, every aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to the success and functioning of society. Various aspects of society include the government, education, healthcare, and family. If one of these aspects does not hold well, then other parts of society would be affected and everyone must adapt to recapture stability and productivity (Homans, 2017). I can relate to the functional theory since I have had experience on how important it is for all aspects of society to function together. Having a firsthand experience in healthcare inequality, I was able to see how the problem affects the entire functioning of the whole society.
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Health and medicine institution
The institution of health and medicine contributes to a social good by ensuring the well-being of society. The well-being of the entire society is made possible by offering treatment for various conditions. Without adequate healthcare, many people would suffer from several conditions without finding the right cure. Additionally, the institution ensures the transfer of social values like kindness, care, good communication, reliability, and honesty. These values are promoted through interpersonal doctoring. Time spent with a patient when dealing with a problem and finding a solution leads to the build of those social values.
Problems in healthcare inequality
Health disparities is a problem that exists between people of different racial and ethnic groups. This can occur when physicians show racial bias which can affect communication with the patient and destroy the patient-provider relationship. Healthcare inequality is especially a personal problem as I encountered a problem when seeking medical attention for my chronic illness. I was not able to receive adequate medical attention as the physician did not treat me with fairness and equality. Instead, the physician doubted my signs and did not believe me when I said I was in pain. The reason for the doubts was that I was faking the situation in order to get access to some drugs.
Theoretical perspectives that describe healthcare inequality
According to the functionalist perspective, the provision of effective medical care is important for the smooth functioning of society as a whole. When someone is sick, they should be able to seek medical attention and have access to treatment. Ill health will impair the ability of the society to function and it can lead to the hindrance of society’s functioning. Healthcare inequality leads to poor medical care that can cause a dysfunctional society (Parsons, 2017). This is because a section of the society may find a great difficulty in accessing proper medical attention.
Research on healthcare inequality
Research shows experiences in healthcare discrimination is present among minority groups can contribute to disparities in the health outcomes for Black and Latinos. Mays (2017) carried out research analyzing discrimination in mental health treatment among various ethnic and racial groups. The study showed that 15 percent of adults surveyed in California reported discrimination during their healthcare visit. The study also reported that 52% of Blacks and 31% of Latinos reported to have experienced discrimination. Additionally, there was a high number of uninsured Latino patients that experienced discrimination.
Recommendation to address inequality
One recommendation to address the issue of inequality in healthcare settings is to conduct training for both medical practitioners and medical students on the issue of racial discrimination. The study should focus on enabling physicians to see patients as an individual and not as a representative of a racial or social group. The approach should also focus on the individual characteristic of the black patient, the most discriminated group. The physicians should be equipped with patient-centered communication skills. They should recognize each patient as a unique human being and focus on having a patient-centered interaction. The physician should be made to understand that treating patients is a joint decision and responsibility with the patient.
In conclusion, health care inequality is a social problem according to the functionalist perspective because it causes a breakdown of one of the critical elements that hold society together. The functional theory states that all institutions in the society should work together in harmony to create a functional society. Health and medicine are one of the critical institutions that hold the fabric of society together. Research indicates that health care inequality is apparent with the most discriminated ethnic groups being Blacks and Latinos. The recommendation to solve the problem is to engage in training of healthcare practitioners to view patients as individuals and not people from a specific race or ethnic group.
References
Homans, G. C. (2017). Contemporary theory in sociology. In Sociological Methods (pp. 51-69). Routledge.
Mays, V. M., Jones, A., Delany-Brumsey, A., Coles, C., & Cochran, S. D. (2017). Perceived discrimination in healthcare and mental health/substance abuse treatment among blacks, Latinos, and whites. Medical care , 55 (2), 173.
Parsons, T. (2017). The present status of “structural-functional” theory in sociology. The idea of social structure (pp. 67-84). Routledge.
