Sickle cell and thalassaemia: why social science is critical to improving care and service support.

Date
2012-01
Authors
Dyson, Simon
Atkin, Karl
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
DOI
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge (Taylor and Francis)
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
For sickle cell and thalassaemia, social science is critical if we wish to understand the social context of - and how people experience - the two conditions. Sickle cell and thalassaemia are more than simply ‘being of’, ‘belonging to’ or ‘being at risk of’ a particular diagnostic category. Sickle cell and thalassaemia are an expression of how people interpret and negotiate their social experience (see, Kleinman, 1988). To be successful, policy and practices, wherever they are enacted, need to engage with this. By way of conclusion to this volume – and to help facilitate this - we indicate five ways, or five meanings, through which we signal this critical nature of social science and its potential value in working alongside more clinical paradigms to improve the care of those at risk of sickle cell and thalassaemia disorders.
Description
Keywords
genetics, public health, global health, sickle cell, thalassaemia, sociology, critical realism
Citation
Dyson, S.M. and Atkin, K. (2012) Sickle cell and thalassaemia: why social science is critical to improving care and service support. In: Dyson, SM and Atkin, K (2012) [eds] Genetics and Global Public Health: Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Routledge, pp. 192-203
Research Institute
Institute for Allied Health Sciences Research