Health and societies: changing perspectives

The organisation of health service delivery is undergoing a period of rapid change across the globe. Today, health service professionals are renegotiating their approaches to health, with an emphasis on health promotion and prevention of illness. To achieve these goals a stronger emphasis is required on the effects of social, economic, and environmental factors on health, and on building intersectoral linkages. To address these changes, this book examines the study of health, health services and health policy from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on the work of professionals from a wide range of disciplines. Examples are drawn from both developed and developing countries and issues are identified which demonstrate changing perspectives on health issues are linked to our increased understanding of different societies and social groups. The opening chapters present changing perspectives in our conceptual understanding of health issues. Later chapters are more concerned with changes in health services and issues of health policy development and implementation. The final chapter presents a research agenda for health and society for the year 2000 and beyond. -from Authors