2^nd World Congress on Medical Sociology & Community Health September 25-26, 2017 Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Medical sociology is the study of the societal dimensions of health and medicine and it provides an analytical framework for understanding the social contexts of health, illness and health care. Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of health via the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in human beings. Health care is delivered by health professionals in allied health professions, chiropractic, physicians, physician associates, dentistry, midwifery, nursing, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, psychology, and other health professions. It includes the work done in providing primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, as well as in public health.

Medical Sociology draws on traditional sociological issues and contributes to them through reformulations of such basic concepts as social systems and institutions, professionalism, social movements and social change, and social interaction and negotiation. The field is concerned with basic social science research and its implications for public policy and practice. Medical Sociology and Epidemiology are interlinked with each other. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related events, and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems.  It is the cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidence-based practice by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive healthcare. Social epidemiology is the social distribution and social determinants of health, societal conditions affect health.

Public health refers to all organized measures whether public or private to prevent disease, promote health, and prolongs life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases. Medical sociology and public health share many of the same concerns in the study of social and cultural factors that affect the health of the population. Differences in theoretical approaches, methodological procedures, conceptualization and measurement, and research objectives, however, often serve to limit the potential for collaboration between the two disciplines. Sociologists possess many of the theoretical models and analytical techniques needed in public health for the study of the impact of poverty, inequality, socioeconomic status, differentials in power, and social and cultural differences on disease outcomes and health status.

This field draws on traditional sociological issues and contributes to them through reformulations of such basic concepts as social systems and institutions, professionalism, social work and social change, and social interaction and negotiation. The field is concerned with basic social science research and its implications for public policy and practice.

Medical anthropology is the study of how health and illness are shaped, experienced, and understood in light of global, historical, and political forces. It is one of the most exciting subfields of anthropology and has increasingly clear relevance for students and professionals interested in the complexity of disease states, diagnostic categories, and what comes to count as pathology or health. Medical Anthropology research mainly focus in the fields of the development of systems of medical knowledge and medical care, the patient-physician relationship, the integration of alternative medical systems in culturally diverse environments, the interaction of social, environmental and biological factors which influence health and illness both in the individual and the community as a whole, the critical analysis of interaction between psychiatric services and migrant populations and the impact of biomedicine and biomedical technologies in non-Western settings.

Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society. An explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future which in turn helps to establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term. It outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people. Medical sociology is the study of the societal dimensions of health and medicine and it provides an analytical framework for understanding the social contexts of health, illness and health care. Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of health via the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in human beings. Medical Sociologists, Social Science Researchers, Social Workers, Sociologists are the key persons in framing health policies.

Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations. Medical Sociology is the study of human social behavior and interaction, has become a component of many nursing education programs because it is believed that undertaking formal study of human behavior can assist nurses in providing care and performing thorough diagnosis. Incorporating sociology into the study of nursing emphasizes the social nature of health care and helps nurses understand their role as a social agents whose job requires interaction with and understanding of many different types of people from a variety of different backgrounds. Interpersonal care can be an essential part of a nurse's role as a health care provider, and the study of sociology is believed to help nurses gain new insight into their patients’ lives and issues.

The relation between medical sociology and sociological theory is crucial to the sub discipline. Theory is usually distinguishes research in medical sociology from socially oriented studies like public health and health services research. Sociological theory allows medical sociology to remain unique among the health-related social and behavioral sciences. Medical Sociology was intended to help solve a clinical problem, rather than develop theory. Social conflict is a theory which tells about the struggle between segments of society over valued resources. There are so many sociological theories which deal with the health aspects in social contexts like engaged theory, feminism, positivism, social constructionism and social exchange theory.

Social determinants of health are the social and economic conditions and their distribution among the population that influence individual and group differences health status. Social determinants of health include social gradients, stress, early childhood development, social exclusion, unemployment, food insecurity, housing, availability of healthy food and disability. The social determinants in Canada and the USA are clearly well below the standards seen in other developed nations in terms of quality and equitable distribution. Medical Sociologists, Social Science Researchers, Social Workers, Sociologists plays major role in this aspect.

Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli, such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting alcohol on a cut, and bumping the funny bone. Pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations, to protect a damaged body part while it heals, and to avoid similar experiences in the future. Pain management, pain medicine, pain control is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with chronic pain. The typical pain management team includes medical practitioners, pharmacists, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists. The team may also include other mental health specialists and massage therapists. Pain sometimes resolves promptly once the underlying trauma or pathology has healed, and is treated by one practitioner, with drugs such as analgesics and anxiolytics. Effective management of chronic pain, however, frequently requires the coordinated efforts of the management team.

Social conditions and psychiatric disorders shape the lives of the people. The changing life conditions of people have more effect on their mental health such as psychological distress, the impact of life events, stress and coping. Mental health is a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of mental illness. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. It is the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment. From the perspective of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.

 Mental illnesses are serious disorders which can affect your thinking, mood, and behavior. There are many causes of mental disorders. Your genes and family history may play a role. Your life experiences, such as stress or a history of abuse, may also matter. Biological factors can also be part of the cause. Mental disorders are common, but treatments are available.

Gender is an important dimension of social life which intersects with others in social class, ethnicity and age. Gender and social relationships affects the health. Health experiences of women are different from those of men.  The cultural and religious norms of a society have a profound influence on roles, attitudes, and behaviour of men and women within the society. Gender inequality is most common in women dealing with poverty. The study of gender and development has become a broad field that involves politicians, economists, and human rights activists. Gender and Development, particularly women empowerment, includes a broader view of the effects of development on gender including economic, political, and social issues.

Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., Alcohol, Cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behaviour is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.