History in health and health services: exploring the possibilities

Sheard, Sally

doi:10.1136/jech.2007.063412

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The study and practice of history is an important means “of raising social consciousness” among students, professionals, and communities in ways similar to the work of feminist and postcolonial studies (Madsen, 2018, p. 119). Local and oral history can be valuable tools when working at the local level in public health and to promote community engagement (Madsen, 2018; Sheard, 2008). An educational role of history includes “challenging myths and offering alternatives” and by giving perspective on current health problems by “highlighting how ideology can determine questions being asked and the priorities being set” (Madsen, 2018, pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Local and oral history can be valuable tools when working at the local level in public health and to promote community engagement (Madsen, 2018;Sheard, 2008). An educational role of history includes "challenging myths and offering alternatives" and by giving perspective on current health problems by "highlighting how ideology can determine questions being asked and the priorities being set" (Madsen, 2018, pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Importance of History in an MPH Program: A Qualitative Evaluation of an Applied History of Public Health Course

Talley

Comeau

German

et al. 2022

Pedagogy in Health Promotion

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Historical analysis is a vital but underutilized tool for analyzing and teaching public health and health promotion. An applied history of public health course, designed to meet a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) competency and learning objective, was qualitatively evaluated to determine the extent to which the course shaped students’ and alumni’s views on public health values, identities, and practices. A second aim examined the course’s impact on students’ and alumni’s public health work and their ability to discuss structural biases, inequities, and racism and health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 alumni and 11 students. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The four main themes were the importance of history as foundational knowledge and for the development of professional identities; history as a means to understand race, racism, and the social determinants of health; self-reflection and critical thinking as public health practices and the relevance of history to community health promotion; and the effectiveness of multiple pedagogical techniques. Findings suggest that a course including the history of public health institutions, concepts, practices, and health equity can be a valuable tool to teach students about the social determinants of health, health equity, and racism and health, gain perspective on current health problems, improve critical thinking skills and self-reflection as public health practices, and develop a professional identity. We recommend that MPH programs include a history of public health course and/or incorporate historical perspectives in existing courses. This training is increasingly important to prepare students to promote health equity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of History in an MPH Program: A Qualitative Evaluation of an Applied History of Public Health Course

Talley

Comeau

German

et al. 2022

Pedagogy in Health Promotion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In the past ten years a number of articles have appeared in a range of journals that discuss the value and ways of using an historical approach in current health research, policy and practice [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . While an interest in history has long been present in the study of health, these articles cumulatively suggest that historians through their different interests, conceptual approaches and particular methods can provide valuable insights into today's concerns [9][10] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mountains and medicines: history and medicines use in rural Nepal

Heydon¹

2011

South Med Rev

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The aim of this article is to highlight the value of an historical approach for current health research into access and use of medicines. It also suggests that historical research complements the perspectives of other social science disciplines. This study focuses on the rugged Mt Everest region of Nepal and the mainly Sherpa inhabitants from the 1960s through to the present. It draws on an in-depth historical case study of Khunde Hospital, which is the main provider of health services in the area, and an exploratory study of people's use of medicines over time. This historical perspective deepens our understanding of both the consumer and provider of medicines in the Everest area. The research employs a variety of qualitative methods and uses a wide range of written and oral, primary and secondary, published and unpublished sources as well as participant observation and further fieldwork. Multiple separate and interconnected factors have influenced medicines use over time. The study identifies the importance of medicines in the introduction and spread of 'modern' medicine in the area, but like elsewhere in the Himalayan region modern health care and its medicines are used within a plural medical environment. The Mt Everest region has become a major tourist destination which has led both to considerable economic development in the area but has also influenced the supply and use of medicines. While medicines use unsurprisingly is different today, this development overall has occurred within a framework of both continuity and change that underpins Sherpa life more broadly.

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“…This is a common approach to British public history, but the advantages of such an overt chronological analysis have not yet been acknowledged by the producers of the reports themselves. Historians are increasingly translating their conventional output (books) into executive summaries that will be more digestible for politicians and policy advisers (Gorsky and Sheard 2006; Sheard 2008b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quacks and Clerks: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Structure and Function of the British Medical Civil Service

Sheard

2010

Social Policy &Amp; Administration

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The British government's requirement for expert medical advice from the 1850s led to the development of a medical civil service, which reached its peak in size and authority in the 1970s. By this time the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) had direct management of a staff of over 170 medically qualified civil servants, who provided expertise on the development and implementation of new medical treatments as well as on broader health protection and promotion issues. The successive Whitehall efficiency reviews from 1979 onwards culminated in 1994 in the merger of the parallel medical and civil service reporting hierarchies in the Department of Health, effectively reducing the CMO's ability to call upon the support of medical civil servants, at a time of increasing new health threats such as AIDS and MRSA. This article uses government reports to chart the rise and fall of the British medical civil service. It discusses how, in the last ten years, the British government has become more imaginative in its use of temporary specialist medical advisers (tsars) brought in from the NHS, in relaxing the formal civil service hierarchies, and quietly abandoning the statutory Standing Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC). This article suggests that when the government has failed to give adequate support to its CMOs, the medical civil service has suffered from poor morale, experienced recruitment difficulties, and the ability to respond to health crises has been compromised. It highlights the chronic lack of historical awareness in the development of health policy in Britain.

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History in health and health services: exploring the possibilities

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

The Importance of History in an MPH Program: A Qualitative Evaluation of an Applied History of Public Health Course

The Importance of History in an MPH Program: A Qualitative Evaluation of an Applied History of Public Health Course

Mountains and medicines: history and medicines use in rural Nepal

Quacks and Clerks: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Structure and Function of the British Medical Civil Service

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