First published in 1981, Social Work and General Medical Practice aims to promote communication between social workers and general practitioners by providing an analysis of those perceptions and attitudes which the two professions bring to the experience of working together, and which may inhibit their collaboration. The author offers each group a sociological portrait not only of itself, but of the other occupation, in the hope that future attempts at collaboration can be made in a climate of greater awareness of the similarities and differences of each other's occupational structure, culture, and development. The book thus explores the points of conflict and the potential foundations for improvement. Collaborative possibilities and research experiences in the UK, the USA, and in Australia are compared and contrasted.
Social Work and General Medical Practice is addressed primarily to students and practitioners of social work and general medical practice, and to their educators. Health and social administrators will also be interested in its implications for the design and delivery of services. As an exercise in the application of occupational sociology to interprofessional communication in the field of health and social services, the book will also interest sociologists of occupations and the professions, and medical sociologists.