Sociology and Nursing Practice – serie

In recent years there have been major developments in how long term conditions are managed and so it is important nurses understand the rationale behind policy initiatives and their implications for practice. This timely book provides a unique examination of the sociology surrounding long term conditions and the experiences of the patients who have them. It examines the social context of chronic illness and contains individual chapters on the common long term conditions present in the United Kingdom today.

The relevance of gender to nursing as an activity and as a profession has already been discussed extensively in the sociological literature and gender is recognised as a relevant variable by social policy analysts interested in community care. Furthermore, there is a growing awareness of the sociological aspects of women's (and increasingly men's) health issues.This book demonstrates the relevance of theoretical approaches to the understanding of gender issues within nursing practice.

This volume launches an exciting new series which explores the relationship between sociological principles and nursing practice. It introduces the nurse to social theory, and examines its importance in the development of nursing's own theoretical base. The relevance of theory to what is essentially a practical discipline is amply demonstrated.This book and its followers will be essential reading for students at both pre-registration and post-registration levels. Many practitioners will also find much to stimulate them.

Today, more than ever, it is imperative that nurses are prepared to practice in a multi-ethnic society. This book aims to assist the profession's clear desire to ensure that its members are equipped to meet the health care needs of minority ethnic communities by offering perspectives and insights from sociological theory and empirical research. It also addresses educational issues and considers the careers of nurses from minority ethnic groups.

This book examines the division of labour between nurses and other health professions and occupations. It connects classic sociological concerns with practical problems affecting the contemporary NHS, such as: skill-mix in hospitals; the emergence of new roles; the shifting boundaries between medicine and nursing; and the barriers to change that exist. The book contains a series of case studies illustrating tensions, conflict and accommodation observable when occupations, or sub-groups within occupations, negotiate new working relationships.