Sociological Insights Into Patient Non-Adherence: Understanding, Applying, And Resolving In Heart Disease Case Study

Introduction - Examining the Social Factors Contributing to Treatment Non-Adherence in Heart Disease

This assignment's main purpose is to develop an assignment on understanding and analysis theoretical approach to health, illness and society, especially how health and illness conditions are described, measured and treated in society as well as the implications for society and individuals and it examines chronic diseases, focusing on heart disease. This essay dives into the complicated issue of non-adherence to treatment with exploring the sociological investigation behind the cause of patients’ failure to comply with prescribed regimens.

The discussion has considered key sociological theories and interpretations relevant to contemporary illness and health issues. This critical analysis of the impact of cultural, social and economic aspects on the conceptualisation of illness and health with a concentration on their influence on practice and service provision has been taken under a shed. In order to ground this investigation application of this concept and theories has been done to a particular condition or disease utilizing relevant data to advocate evolution. Finally considering researches all aspects a concise conclusion with proper justification has been outlined here.

Analysis

A. Critically engage in the sociological literature and evidence

Medication adherence is demonstrated as the measurement that people accept their medication as per doctor's prescription. Adherence to suboptimal medicine was documented in several in as 67% of asthma, 52% of schizophrenia and 33% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Adherence minimizes the period from primary perception. In anxiety and depression, the report of adherence shows that it decreased by 52.6% from 95.5% within 1 month (Asamoah-Boaheng et al., 2021). Social relationships and psychological aspects can influence health outcomes. Stress level, emotional welding and patients' mental health are connected with social relationship quality. Positive relationships can lead toward holistic resonance and eliminate all stress on the other hand, negative relationships can exacerbate stressors.

The social relationship quality can have a long-term influence on present health. Supportive social circumstances can help to efficiently manage chronic conditions while strained and isolated relationships can lead to the progression of illness. Hence it can be stated that Non-adherence enhances the challenge of hospitalisation as well as premature mortality. Globally, suboptimal medication use accounts for 57% of medication non-adherence at an estimated cost of 500 billion USD. The annual economic influence of not adhering to five fundamental conditions such as high cholesterol, schizophrenia, diabetes type 2, Asthma and hypertension the National Health Service of England has determined at near about 930 million sterling pounds (Elliott et al., 2020). Around 500 million sterling can be saved in case adherence is improved.

On another note, Medicalisation defines the discussion by underscoring a non-adherence approach to pathology. In the aspect of sociology, medicalisation occurs when social challenges are demonstrated as medical issues. In a non-adherence context, this can lead to the patient behaviour oversimplification as non-complaint or complaint underestimates the union socio-culture element that impacts adherence (Anghel, Farcas and Oprean, 2019). Gaining knowledge about non-adherence via medicalisation lenses boosts societal tendency examination to medical lenses that may have larger social determinants. For instance, in case a patient's failure to adhere to the medication prescribed can be labelled as non-compliant. This medicalisation framing can underestimate external pressure and social determinants that impact adherence shifting the concentration from a larger aspect to those patients who generate health-relevant decisions.

The social construction concept of illness supplies another lens that is helpful for non-adherence analysis. It highlights that health and illness are not only biological phenomena however it are socially constructed (CARULLA et al., 2011). This point of view motivates people to raise a questionnaire about normative expectations on recognising social attitude impact and health behaviour on patient decisions. The exploration of Illness social construction frames the perception of health context as deviant or normal behaviour. Patients may oppose observance due to the sensed stigma relevant to their treatment and condition questioning the normative anticipation imposed by civilisation.

Additionally, symbolic interactionism contributes to emphasizing social interaction rules in framing people's behaviour. The aspect of non-adherence highlights larger Social networks and patient-health supplier interaction significance (Charmaz, Harris and Irvine, 2019). Patients may oppose the treatment plan in case there is understanding limitedness and a sense of judgment lack occurs from healthcare professionals. However, the relationship between patient professionals has a significant role in framing patients' overall experience and has a high impact on their treatment and condition. This social relationship has contributed to the larger sociological knowledge of illness and health emphasizing the significance of interpersonal dynamics within the healthcare aspect (Tjaden et al., 2021). In this aspect, effective communication is fundamental between patients and healthcare professionals. Open interested relationships can help in fostering adequate understanding the patient to the treatment plan. On the contrary Rodriguez-Saldana, (2019) opined that communication barriers or trust limitedness can lead to misconception and misunderstanding minimising sub-optimal health results and compliance. In healthcare, relationship power dynamics also play an essential role that helps in enhancing patient experience. Collaborative team initiative in which patients participate would actively take part in decision-making that guide toward additional positive results in heart disease. Paternalistic initiatives in which healthcare professionals generate strategic decisions without taking any patient's involvement can guide toward non-adherence and satisfaction (Simuyemba et al., 2020).

The support supplied by friends and family significantly impacts the patient's nature and will be. Strong societal relationships have a high contribution to developing emotional attributes and well-being by supplying practical assistance and increasing adherence to treatment plans. Societal support limitedness can guide isolation feelings that influence the recovery and mental health of patients. Close friends and family members can also impact a patient's decision-making procedure (Rodriguez-Saldana, 2019). Their expectation values opinions and beliefs can restructure patient selection in the aspect of treatment options, healthcare decisions and lifestyle changes.

Along with that Social networks and impact adherence negatively or positively demonstrate the consideration of interpersonal health behaviour aspect importance.

The socio-cultural bias formulated non-adherence discourse. Recognising that health is not characterised by individual responsibility, however, it impacts through larger societal dynamics that lead towards additional holistic understanding about patient behaviour to non-adherence (Naidoo et al., 2023). On the other hand, empirical evidence advocates the sociological point of view in the context of adherence. Research has consistent evidence that socioeconomic factors, the social support networks, and cultural beliefs are the essential determinants of medication adherence. Intense studies demonstrated that patients who possess lower socio-economic backgrounds may experience issues such as health care resources, limited access and financial constraints and contending priorities that destroy adherence.

Additionally, Davidson et al., (2019) stated that the exploration of patient experience depicts symbolic significance that is attached to the treatment. The patient often senses concern about their treatment and, conditions' social implications that demonstrate societal perceptions' powerful influence on their adherence point of view.

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Sociological literature's critical engagement on non-adherence demonstrated individuals' health behaviour interconnectedness with larger societal structures. Medication illness, social construction and symbolic interactionism collaboratively supply a robust and holistic approach to societal relationships. Interconnectedness is vital for acknowledging patients' holistic experience. Social relationships help in interacting with each other (Reach, 2023). For instance, the connection between healthcare providers and patients can spread out into their interaction with friends or family which affects their overall health. On the other hand, several cultural factors impact social relationships and patient healthcare experiences. Cultural norms beliefs and expectations can influence the patient and their families, gaining health illness and health care professional roles, and supply a theoretical structure for comprehending patients who oppose treatment plans or adherence.

B. Apply concepts and theories to specific diseases, conditions and/or healthcare contexts in the UK

Healthcare attempts to enhance societal well-being and health. In the aspect of healthcare, political decisions can beneficially or detrimentally influence such well-being and health. Intense Neo liberal political perceptions such as austerity have been beneficial or detrimental to both healthcare and health. This is demonstrated by a recent hegemonic ideology with Britain as well as another state (Tulchinsky and Varavikova, 2019). The NHS founding principles, funded by general taxation and providing free access for individuals, enjoy public support and represent a crucial aspect of the moral economy. A popular consensus is illegitimate and regimented approaches considering social norms and obligations traditional perception.

The subsequent government reform in the UK has vandalized this type of residual norm, aiming to replace the prevailing NHS neo-liberal form. The welfare state problem emerging consciousness incorporated NHS's failure to minimise health class inequalities that demonstrated as an emerging norm. In order to keep their commitment, NHS was weakened by the implementation of “NHS and Community Care Act 1990”. That transformed the boundaries between social and healthcare and the Health and “Social Care Act of 2012” abolished the “secretary of state's duty for health” to supply health services throughout the UK. The “HSC Act 2012’ generated general physicians' responsibility for authorizing secondary care services via “clinical commissioning groups” that are needed to eliminate tender in most of the services. However, the group needed to rearrange their services for individuals (England, 2022). Additionally, they pose no duty to supply services for entire patients within this region minimizing the service volume that they contract for. The act permits foundation trusts to enhance their revenue by 49% of their total income from the private patients. This helps to access based on their requirement and trust enhances their income gained from the private patient while non-paying patients are on the waiting list. In order to mitigate this challenge the Government of the UK included a "7-day NHS policy" that helps to supply adequate services by maintaining guidelines (Department of Health and Social Care, 2023).

Additionally, the theory does not advocate complicated and multifaceted interventions to develop medication adherence, which leads to the word ‘adherent’ in people. Effective integration concentrated on promoting sustainable manner and self-management transformation. This is incorporated with additional acceptable regiments eliminating financial barriers and transforming misguiding beliefs about medicine and disease with motivating self-management developing patient-provider linkage and incorporating patients into the social world. Educational requirements over-emphasize several interventions another weakness. People who get new medicine for their severe conditions such as chronic disease or Mental Health day often face issues that lead to proportion evolving non-adherent (Harvard, 2022). In this aspect, NHS has developed an adequate intervention with a theoretical foundation in their self-regulator model that is grounded within individuals' points of view and frames individuals' experiences with the new medicine. This was utilisation as a beginning point for the entire pharmacist to reach patient particular requirements with advice and information. This intervention helps to minimise recorded non-adherence and issues cost-effectively.

The NHS pharmacists provide the “new medicine service (NMS)”, the first national service framework to enhance medicine adherence, to individuals starting new medications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, hypertension, diabetes and anticoagulant treatment. The framework is considered in the previous work and genuine international concentrated a large patient range in that the medicine posses for specified groups (Naidoo et al., 2023). The pharmacist supplied the original interventions through a centralised telephone service, providing the medicine either over the telephone or in face-to-face interactions. NHS community pharmacy put the agreement on this framework and can be supplied obeying proper accreditation. It was applied from the year 2011 and NHS developed guidance on NMS conduction and associated follow-up consultation. This guidance supplies a strict guide for the entire pharmacist (Elliott et al., 2020). According to the report, there are 91.2% of community pharmacists are recorded to have a minimum of 1 episode on NMS. This new medicine was initially started with a follow-up check-up for 14 days (Benbow, 2017). That medicine aims to supply adequate healthcare while minimizing non-adherence records.

On the other hand, the application of sociological theories to the NHS concentrates on particular disease conditions such as mental health and chronic condition disorders.

Chronic condition

Chronic conditions such as hypertension or diabetes supply a lens through which sociological theory applications are considered to understand treatment adherence.

Social determinant of health

People with chronic conditions can struggle with economic barriers that hinder adherence. Transportation costs prescription costs missed work and health care facilities can impact an individual ability to obey a treatment plan. Therefore, SDH theory compasses that health results can be represented by individual manner, genetic, economic, social and environmental factors. It underscores opportunities and resource unequal distribution to health disparity (Paremoer et al., 2021). Education physical circumstances, employment and socio-economic status are essential determinants. For instance, people who possess lower income or low socioeconomic status can struggle with accessing healthcare which leads to health outcome disparity. This highlights the significance of identifying larger social qualities to develop overall population well-being and health.

Medicalisation of Society Theory

Medication has an essential role in cases that are pathology by certain types of lifestyle factors associated with severe chronic conditions. Intense physical activity and dietary selection level are medicalised shaping non-adherence as a treatment failure to serve to medical norm (POWELL, 2019). This theory investigates the human condition and societal issues evolvement treated and demonstrated. This procedure goes beyond the biological aspect and is incorporated into cultural and social dynamics. For instance, common life studies such as experience and ageing have been medicalised guiding toward pharmaceutical intervention development (Degerman, 2020). This theory helps to draw attention to individuals' power dynamic in demonstrating abnormal and normal considerations within the colony that raises the question about medical solutions appropriate for a certain situation.

Symbolic interactionism

Symbolic interactionism highlights the social interaction role in the context of chronic conditions. It shows positive interaction between patients and healthcare suppliers (Pope et al., 2022). A collaborative and supportive relationship can increase adherents through developing effective communication and trust. This dynamic relationship facilitates effective communication and trust-building, contributing to developed patient outcomes.

Mental health disorder

Mental health disorders include anxiety, depression, stress, suicidal acts and many more that create unique issues in acknowledging treatment adherence. The role of stress in this aspect highlights its impact on mental well-being and its potential to affect treatment adherence.

Medicalization perspective

In Mental Health stigmatization medicalization is crucial and non-adherence can impact mentally ill people's capability and fear (University of Minnesota, 2019). The medical education procedure has contributed to developing societal attitudes that can motivate people to seek treatment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be concluded that non-adherence exploration to property treatment via sociological lenses has applied valuable insight into this phenomenon's multifaceted nature. Through the application of numerous concept and theories in the context of Mental Health disorder and chronic condition within NHS, UK, it discovered stigma influence social support health introduction and economic disparity in treatment adherence. On the other hand, it also helps in exploring dynamics of healthcare relationships, the effectiveness of interventions in the context of the sociological perspective, and the changing dynamics of health disparities. Continuously exploring the sociological dimension of individuals' health and illness it help to develop a method for additional comprehensive, effective and equitable health care practices.

Additional sociological evaluation highlights that known adherence is not only an individual challenge; however it is deeply incorporated with larger cultural economic and social contexts. Identifying this contextual element is crucial for improvising effective policies and interventions within the healthcare system. This analysis implication extended to the identification of patient centre initiatives needed mitigation and understanding of societal barriers to Adherence. Incorporating Research and statistical data strengthens the sociological investigation by emphasizing the requirement for holistic approaches that identify health and illness social dimensions within the UK healthcare system.

References

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