Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science
The Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science (officially, in German: Institut für Medizinische Soziologie und Rehabilitationswissenschaft) at the CharitéCenter for Health and Human Sciences (CC1) was founded in March 2002. It stands in a long tradition of medical sociological and social medical thinking within Berlin's university hospital system. As early as 1970, it was part of the central institute of social medicine (Zentralinstitut für Soziale Medizin) at Freie Universität Berlin.
Current topics of research deal with
- Health services research in both medical and nursing care aspects,
- Demographic change and aging research,
- Research on medical education and professions and
- Rehabilitation science.
What is Medical Sociology?
Our health but also the occurrence of many diseases depends on the interplay of social situations, mental states and physical conditions. Medical sociology deals with social influences on the development, progression and healing of diseases and on the maintenance of health. In addition, medical sociological research addresses questions relating to the quality of medical and nursing care. The focus is on patients, their relatives and professional helpers.