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Unit 14 Sociological and Psychological Perspectives on Health - Higher National Diploma in Healthcare Practice

Assignment - Contributions from sociology and psychology in healthcare practice: Information Booklet

Learning Outcome 1: Explain a range of sociological perspectives on health and illness

Learning Outcome 2: Describe a range of psychological perspectives on health and illness

Learning Outcome 3: Explore the influence of sociological and psychological perspectives on healthcare provision

Learning Outcome 4: Assess how psychological theories are applied to elicit behaviour change in healthcare settings

Scenario:

You are working in your local community as a psychological health and wellbeing officer and have been asked to complete an information booklet with example case studies for trainees. Your booklet will need to introduce and assess the needs of patients and to support and improve outcomes.

This will ensure practitioners are evidence-based, up-to-date and are able to provide a range of services required to meet the needs of service users.It is vital they are able to identify and understand the influence of sociological and psychological concepts when looking after service users.

Sample case study 1:

"Raj is 55 years old and has recently been admitted into hospital due to alcoholism. Raj is a widow, working as a lawyer and lives alone in Kensington in a four bedroom house. Raj had recently been invovled in a car accident where he had lost his wife and two children. Following this traumatic event, he had been diagnosed with having PTSD and is drinking excessively which is impacting his health and wellbeing. The doctors have suggested psychological support to Raj but he is reluctant to attend. Raj often refuses help from his family and is adamant on living alone even though he is finding it very difficult to manage. He is not able to cook or clean and relies on takeaways which has severely impacted his physical health.Raj has recently been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes"

Sample case study 2:

"Lucy is 24 years old and has recently been admitted into hospital as she had overdosed on painkillers. Lucy is a single-parent and is currently living in a very deprived area in Blackpool in a two-bedroom flat with her four year old son. Lucy is currently working part-time as a carer, drinks a lot of alcohol and smokes. She finds it very difficult to cook and clean her flat. Lucy had recently been diagnosed with depression and has been finding it difficult to manage her job and responsibilities as a parent. Her mother visits often and is able to support her and look after her son. Lucy had recently visited her GP and was prescribed anti-depressant tablets which she has not been taking as required and refuses to attend therapy.Lucy has also started to develop symptoms of Asthma."

Assessment method

Part 1 Introduction:
Using sociological and psychological perspectives to inform healthcare practitioners understanding of mental health disorders and behaviours of service users (sample case studies).

This should not exceed 2500 words. You must use relevant research to support your answers.

Your introduction will:
To critically assess how different sociological and psychological perspectives inform a healthcare practitioners understanding of a range of mental health disorders and the behaviour of service users.

This will include:
• An explanation of demographic trends regarding health and illness relating to the sociological perspectives with examples linked to the case studies.
• A comparison and contrasting of biomedical and socio-medical models and their view of health and illness relating to the case studies with reference to different sociological perspectives.
• An analysis of holistic approaches to providing support for individuals accessing care services with reference to psychological theories of human behaviour and the impact of this on individuals.
• How a psychological understanding of human development and behaviour can support healthcare workers in providing effective care and support for service users
• An awareness of the impact of healthcare workers own experiences on their health and behaviour with service users and colleagues

Part 2: Guidance
An analysis of psychological theories that can be applied to elicit behaviour change in individuals (sample case studies) and settings similar to yours. The booklet should contain information that will also be useful to someone considering accessing the services your provision offers.

This should not exceed 2500 words. You must use relevant research to support your answers.
Your guidance will:
Evaluate different healthcare interventions designed to improve the health of specific populations using a range of sociological and psychological concepts and perspectives. Your evaluation will:
• Draw upon your knowledge of sociological and psychological concepts discussed in class and through independent and current research.
• Using case study examples, including from your own work placement, evaluate specific healthcare interventions and processes (from planning, through to review) using relevant psychological and sociological concepts to comment on their effectiveness.
• Include an examination of different cultural influences on concepts of health and disease relating to the case studies
• Discuss how different interventions have been used to improve the health of individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
• Take into consideration the impact of prejudice, discrimination and exclusion on the service users and on the effectiveness of such interventions in different populations.
• Include reference to the application of psychology theory in eliciting positive behaviour change in healthcare settings, which will include an assessment of the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy in enabling behaviour change using recent, relevant findings.
• Compare cognitive behavioural therapy to other current therapies underpinned by theory and assess their effectiveness for service users.

Attachment:- Sociological and Psychological Perspectives on Health.rar