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Article
Men at Risk: Considering Masculinity During Hospital-Based Social Work Intervention
Social Work in Health Care
  • Ren Winnett
  • Rich Furman, University of Washington Tacoma
  • Michelle Enterline
Publication Date
4-1-2012
Document Type
Article
Abstract

The needs of hospitalized male patients are often unrecognized and unmet. Men occupy greater than half of all inpatient hospital beds and incur a broad array of illnesses and injuries at higher rates than women‰ÛÓyet often receive health care that pays surprisingly little attention to the concept of patient masculinity, or to masculinity's influence on the male patient's perspectives, behaviors, goals, interests, needs, and challenges. Little emphasis is placed on considering hospitalized male patients as men, understanding their need for patient-centered care within this context, and intervening in ways that regularly allow strengths to be adequately recognized and utilized. In this article, we explore how hospital social workers can reconsider masculinity as a vibrant and formative component of male patients' lives and actively view its characteristics as comprising more than just potential challenges to medical treatment‰ÛÓbut also as untapped sources of resilience and strength.

DOI
10.1080/00981389.2011.650843
Publisher Policy
pre-print, post-print
Disciplines
Citation Information
Ren Winnett, Rich Furman and Michelle Enterline. "Men at Risk: Considering Masculinity During Hospital-Based Social Work Intervention" Social Work in Health Care Vol. 51 Iss. 4 (2012) p. 312 - 326
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rich-furman/83/