Nursing and its Relativity with other Disciplines, Philosophical and Sociological

Nursing and Sociology

O Sociology is the study of society, communities and people whereas nursing is a profession which focused on
assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, maintaining and recovering optimal health
and functioning.
O The sociology oI health and illness Iocuses on the social eIIects oI, and public attitudes
toward, illnesses, diseases, disabilities and the ageing process. Medical sociology, by contrast, Iocuses on
the inner-workings oI medical organizations and clinical institutions.
O $ociology oI health is a Iield oI inquiry that treats health, illness and their management as problems in the
understanding oI society and how this understanding helps address problems in the management oI health
and illness. The sociology oI health is important in the sense that health care is concerned with Iundamental
issues involving liIe, death and the quality oI liIe.
O There is a dynamic and Iundamental role Ior sociological knowledge within nursing (and health care
generally). $ociology demystiIies the nature oI health and illness, highlights the social causes oI disease
and death, exposes power-Iactors and ethical dilemmas in the production oI health care, and either directly
or indirectly helps to create a discerning practitioner who then becomes capable oI more Iocused and
competent decision making. Source. Sociology and nursing by Peter Morrall
O %he Sociology of Health is important in the sense that health care is concerned with fundamental issues
involving life, death and the quality of life. For students in health proIessions, there is an important
practical reason Ior gaining an understanding oI the $ociology oI Health.
Source. http.//www.shvoong.com/social-sciences/sociology/1898494-importance-sociology-
nursing/#ix::1QZXsOIJ6
O %he primary goal of sociology in nursing is the practice of promoting and protecting the health of
populations, using knowledge Irom nursing, social and public health sciences. The practice is population-
Iocused, with the goals oI promoting health and preventing disease and disability among people through the
creating oI conditions in which people can be healthy (ANA, 2007). Community health nurse is a partner in the
health team who provides nursing care, treatment to the sick, health counseling and works in diIIerent places
such as home, school and health center. $he is also responsible Ior Iamily-centered care.
O Nursing is a dynamic practice discipline and its Iocus is on caring Ior individuals, groups and communities.
Using holistic approach, social education provides the Ioundation Ior the nurse to understand the bio-physical,
psychological, spiritual and socio-cultural aspects oI individuals, groups or communities. Nursing is composed
oI actions and roles involving human services, interpersonal processes and technology. Actions and roles are
deliberately selected and perIormed by nurses to help individuals, groups or communities under their care
maintain or change their selI-care practices.
O Nursing services meets the needs oI the society and any major change in social structure and dynamics will
bring about changes in nursing too.
O $ociology helps nurses understand the behavior, conIlicts, interpersonal relationships, hierarchy, groups,
adaptation, etc. oI diIIerent people working in hospitals or health institutions.
O Through sociology, the nurse gets inIormation about the socio-cultural liIe oI the patient. This is important
Ior the planning and implementing oI the treatment.
O ith the help oI sociology, we can study the structure oI Iamily, community and society, on the basis oI
which health organizations are made and services distributed.
O Nurses can understand the characteristics oI social relationship, its complexities, and its impact on health
care.
O Nurses learn the technique oI adjustment that can be used in nursing.
Source. Sociology for nurses by I. Clement


NURSING AND PHILOSOPHY
O !hilosophy is the branch oI study that seeks underlying wisdom and knowledge.
O ursing is a practice, it only comes to true (or material) expression in action. Moreover, nursing, as an
intractably social and relational activity, is bound up in and manifest itself by way of ceaseless acts of
communication and interaction with others. Philosophy is primarily a linguistic and cultural phenomenon in the
sense that it is about words and ideas shared by certain people in specific circumstances.
(Source. Contexts of ursing by John Daly, Sandra Speedy, Debra Jackson)
O Nursing makes use oI knowledge Irom science and technology Ior healing the individual patient.
O !hilosophy inIluences the educational practice in that it determines not only the selection oI students but
also the proIessional growth and development oI students, the preparation and development oI teaching
personnel, the development oI curriculum and also attitudes towards patients and the community.
O Applying !hilosophy in nursing states our thoughts on what we believe to be true about the nature oI the
proIession oI nursing and provide a basis Ior nursing activities. It endorses ethical values we hold as basic and
bases our belieIs in theory.
O !hilosophy is a world view about the belieIs and values oI nursing as a discipline. Nursing theories
including theories oI delivery oI nursing care and services are adopted with philosophy and conceptual model.

NURSING AND PSYCHOLOGY
O Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Behavior includes all of our outward
or overt actions and reactions, such as talking, Iacial expression and movements. Mental !rocesses reIer to all
the internal, covert activity oI our minds, such as thinking, Ieeling and remembering. (Ciccarelli & Meyer
2006)
O Nursing and psychology are linked in able to help people adequately recover Irom health problems, a nurse
must oIten understand the behavior and emotional state oI a patient. This is vital Ior a nurse who desires to
help patients recover Irom diseases or disabilities quickly.
O Applying !sychology in Nursing will help the nurse in determining the psychology oI an individual is
instrumental in determining whether or not a person experiencing symptoms oI physical pain or distress.
(!sychology Ior Nurses, Anne Byrne & Don Byrne)
O orking in a health-care setting, whether in a hospital or in the community, involves understanding not
only how individuals Iunction but how they interact with each other. !sychology is oI interest to nurses
because its subject matter is that human behavior. Nurses interact with a variety oI people every moment oI
their working day and in many instances these people may behave in a manner which is diIIicult to understand
or undesirable, in order Ior nurses to deal eIIectively with these situations, nurses must Iirst understand their
own behavior and attitudes.
O The reason, why nurses need to have an understanding in psychology is to understand Iully the needs oI
potentially vulnerable groups in society, such as the sick, elderly, children, those with learning diIIiculties,
socially and economically disadvantaged, to name but a Iew oI these groups, to be aware oI the impact oI long-
term chronic illness and to recognize the link between the liIestyle and health.

NURSING AND ECONOMICS
O conomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption oI goods
and services.
O The supply and demand Ior nurses and other health care related is associated with economics
O Many studies have analyzed the relationship between economic resources and health outcomes, Iocusing
mostly on the eIIect oI economic conditions such as the unemployment rate or an aggregate measure oI
income/spending on mortality.
O The public health sector provides the inIrastructures such as hospitals, health clinics and other medical
services while the private health sphere allows extremely competitive medical center quality healthcare to
appeal the a diIIerent human to help the health services.
O In the past several decades the cost oI health care have continued to increase, with economic issues taking a
central role in health care decision making. The health care system oI any society consist oI its entire
package oI health care delivery and Iinancing mechanism, combined with its health and medical institutions
and any additional institutional Iramework that aIIects health. Although the health care systems oI various
countries may appear to be diIIerent, there actually are only limited number oI ways in which health care
resources can be allocated Ior the production and distribution oI medical care. One example oI health care
resources that includes all the inputs devoted to producing medical care and health care is the labor oI
Nurses.