Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction
"Total Patient Care" as a Medical Necessity
Efforts to Broaden the Scope of Patient Care
The Importance of "Face-Sheet" Data
Social Assessment as Developed by Personnel Departments
Meagerness of Social Data Concerning Patients
Lack of Staff Interest in Sociological Data
Patient's Family Ties
Occupation and Recreational Interests
Geographical Background
Ethnic Background
Socioeconomic Status
A Profile of the Patient
Experimental Use of Outline for Patient Assessment
Teaching of Psychosocial and Cultural Factors in Professional Schools
Chapter 3. Culture: The Design for Living
Cultural Perceptions About Hospitalization
Cultural Efforts to Change Attitudes of American Indians
Importance of Cultural Knowledge for Maternity Services
The Concept of Culture
Culture as a Blueprint of Group Living
The Dominant Pattern of American Culture
Chapter 4. Ethnic Background
Groups from European Backgrounds
The Spanish-Speaking Group
American Indians
Peoples of Oriental Ancestry
Negroes
Ethnic Factors in Patient Care
Prejudice as a Deterrent to Patient Care
Causes of Prejudice
Nature of Prejudice
Implications for the Health Services
Chapter 5. Socioeconomic Background
Social Classes
Scale of Social Classes
Changes in the Social Class System
Patterns of Living of the Lower Classes
Chapter 6. Implications of Social Class and Ethnic Background for Health Services
Social Class and Recognition of Symptoms Needing Attention
Social Class and Mental Illness
Social Class and Public Health
Studies of Stress
Culturally Conditioned Perceptions and Relationships
Chapter 7. Other Psychosocial and Cultural Factors
Psychosocial Aspects of Age
Geographic Background
Religious Background
Understanding of Religious Practices
Rejection of Religious Practices by Staff
Helpfulness of a Psychosocial Frame of Reference
Usefulness of Technically Defined Concepts
Enlarging the Content of the Patient Profile
Professional Preparation for Comprehensive Care
Patients Are Interesting People