The Contribution of Sociology to Theorising Patient Systems of Implementation

Patient systems of health care are compared to formal health care systems under analysed and to date lacked sociological analysis informed by robust sociological theorising. We will show the contribution of sociological theory to the study of patient systems of health care drawing on capabilities theory and theories included under the sociology of everyday life ( including social interactionism). Sociological theory has a major contribution to make to this nascent field by bringing a social relational network perspective to bear on the broader set of contributions that contribute to patient system of implementation. More distal elements that are not connected to formal health care systems relate to social relationships and the availability of social capital at the community level which are key to the mobilisation of resources needed to take self-management action and to act as providers of care. We will draw on two examples of the role of pets in the illness work and connectivity to social resources in illuminating how the following constructs are relevant to defining the contribution of sociological theory to patient systems of health care.

• Social Wellbeing, -social integration, coherence, actualisation, acceptance contribution
• Capabilities (Sen) promoting managing adequately through focus on people realising their capabilities and engaging in practices of subjective value.
• Mobilising resources through relational work undertaken in people’s surrounding personal communities of support.
• Ontological security which sustains people’s confidence in self-identity through dependability of proximate social material environments made up of possession of everyday routines, social interactions and relational interdependence with others.

We will discuss the future theoretical work that needs to be considered in this sub-field