Social group Health Dictionary

Psychotherapy in which at least two, but more commonly up to ten, patients, as well as the therapist, take part. The therapist encourages the patients to analyse their own and the others’ emotional and psychological diffculties. Group therapy is also used to help patients sharing the same condition – for instance, alcoholism or compulsive gambling. They discuss their problems for perhaps an hour twice a week and explore ways of resolving them.... group therapy

See BLOOD GROUPS.... abo blood groups

People are divided into four main groups in respect of a certain reaction of the blood. This depends upon the capacity of the serum of one person’s blood to cause the red cells of another’s to stick together (agglutinate). The reaction depends on antigens (see ANTIGEN), known as agglutinogens, in the erythrocytes and on ANTIBODIES, known as agglutinins, in the serum. There are two of each, the agglutinogens being known as A and B. A person’s erythrocytes may have (1) no agglutinogens, (2) agglutinogen A, (3) agglutinogen B, (4) agglutinogens A and B: these are the four groups. Since the identi?cation of the ABO and Rhesus factors (see below), around 400 other antigens have been discovered, but they cause few problems over transfusions.

In blood transfusion, the person giving and the person receiving the blood must belong to the same blood group, or a dangerous reaction will take place from the agglutination that occurs when blood of a di?erent group is present. One exception is that group O Rhesus-negative blood can be used in an emergency for anybody.

	Agglutinogens	Agglutinins	Frequency
	in the	in the	in Great
Group	erythrocytes	plasma	Britain
AB	A and B	None	2 per cent
A	A	Anti-B	46 per cent
B	B	Anti-A	8 per cent
O	Neither	Anti-A and	44 per cent
	A nor B	Anti-B

Rhesus factor In addition to the A and B agglutinogens (or antigens), there is another one known as the Rhesus (or Rh) factor – so named because there is a similar antigen in the red blood corpuscles of the Rhesus monkey. About 84 per cent of the population have this Rh factor in their blood and are therefore known as ‘Rh-positive’. The remaining 16 per cent who do not possess the factor are known as ‘Rh-negative’.

The practical importance of the Rh factor is that, unlike the A and B agglutinogens, there are no naturally occurring Rh antibodies. However, such antibodies may develop in a Rh-negative person if the Rh antigen is introduced into his or her circulation. This can occur (a) if a Rh-negative person is given a transfusion of Rh-positive blood, and (b) if a Rh-negative mother married to a Rh-positive husband becomes pregnant and the fetus is Rh-positive. If the latter happens, the mother develops Rh antibodies which can pass into the fetal circulation, where they react with the baby’s Rh antigen and cause HAEMOLYTIC DISEASE of the fetus and newborn. This means that, untreated, the child may be stillborn or become jaundiced shortly after birth.

As about one in six expectant mothers is Rh-negative, a blood-group examination is now considered an essential part of the antenatal examination of a pregnant woman. All such Rh-negative expectant mothers are now given a ‘Rhesus card’ showing that they belong to the rhesus-negative blood group. This card should always be carried with them. Rh-positive blood should never be transfused to a Rh-negative girl or woman.... blood groups

A formal association of three or more health practitioners or other health professionals providing health services. Income from the practice is pooled and redistributed to the members of the group according to some prearranged plan.... group practice

See PUBLIC HEALTH.... social medicine

Services provided by government to improve the social welfare of those who need them.... social services

The group of persons for whom an intervention is planned. For example, the targeting of services to particular user groups.... targeting / target population / target group

A category in a classification or typology of clients. Clients can be classified in various dimensions, e.g. by dependency level, by diagnosis.... client group

A group of participants that serves as the basis of comparison when assessing the effects of the intervention of interest that is given to the participants in the treatment group. Depending upon the circumstances of the trial, a control group may receive no treatment, a ‘usual’ or ‘standard’ treatment, or a placebo. To make the comparison valid, the composition of the control group should resemble that of the treatment group as closely as possible.... control group

A system used for payment under prospective payment systems. It classifies treatments by diagnosis, measuring the relative complexity of a hospital procedure and accounting for the resources used in the procedure. The system accounts for principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex and presence of complications.... diagnosis-related group

1 Represents classes of hospital patients with similar clinical characteristics. DRGs form a clinical grouping system which describes hospital discharges according to medical condition. 2 A system used for payment under prospective payment systems. It classifies treatments by diagnosis, measuring the relative complexity of a hospital procedure and accounting for the resources used in the procedure. The system accounts for principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, surgical procedures, age, sex and presence of complications.... diagnosis-related group (drg)

A type of group discussion that is designed to elicit information about the wants, needs, viewpoints, beliefs and experiences of the intended audience. Focus groups can aid in better understanding the expressions and terminology commonly used by people in the audience, as well as their attitudes and beliefs about health care. They are useful for helping uncover the reasons behind people’s responses.... focus group

A house in which people have their own rooms but there are communal facilities. Staff may live in to offer support.... group home

See “assisted living facility”.... group senior assisted housing

People who share a cultural heritage which is different from the majority ethnic culture. See also “ethnicity”; “culture”.... minority ethnic group

A face-to-face group judgement technique in which participants generate silently, in writing, responses to a given question/problem; responses are collected and posted, but not identified by author, for all to see; responses are openly clarified, often in a round robin format; further iterations may follow; and a final set of responses is established by voting/ranking.... nominal group technique

Any previously existing mental-health problems may worsen under the stress of pregnancy and childbirth, and a woman’s socio-economic circumstances may be an in?uential factor. Mood swings are common in pregnant women and mothers of new babies; sympathetic support from sta? and relations will usually remedy the situation. If postnatal depression lasts for more than a week or two the use of mild ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS may be justi?ed. If depression persists, referral to a psychiatrist may be advisable. Rarely, severe psychiatric problems – puerperal psychosis – may develop during or after pregnancy and referral to an appropriate psychiatric unit is then essential. If the mother’s social circumstances are unsatisfactory, advice should be sought from social services departments. Mothers may also need advice on bene?ts to which they are entitled and how to claim them. Bene?ts Agency o?ces or Citizens’ Advice Bureaux as well as antenatal clinics are useful sources of information.... psychological and social problems

Kin and other sources of support available to an individual.... social capital

Assistance with the activities of daily life (personal care, domestic maintenance, self-direction) delivered by a personal care helper, home helper or social worker and aimed at supporting older people who experience disabilities in functioning.... social care service

As factors such as the cause of death and the incidence of diseases vary in di?erent social strata, the Registrar-General evolved the following social classi?cation, which has now been in o?cial use for many years:

Class I Professional occupations, such as lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned o?cers in the Armed Forces.

Class II Intermediate occupations, such as teachers, managers and nurses.

Class III N: non-manual – for example, clerical workers.

Class III M: skilled manual occupations such as miners and bricklayers.

Class IV Partly skilled occupations, such as agricultural workers.

Class V Unskilled occupations, such as building and dock labourers.... social classes

A process within society which both formally, through law, and informally, through customs, norms and mores, attempts to influence and order the actions of social groups and their members and thus maintain public order.... social control

A situation in which individuals are prevented from fully participating in society by factors such as age, poverty, disability or ethnicity.... social exclusion

The extent to which individuals are engaged with their families, friends, neighbours and communities.... social integration

A condition in which an individual has extremely limited social networks and supports.... social isolation

An individual’s web of kinship, friendship and community ties.... social network

See “informal care”.... social network care

Benefits that include income for eligible persons from social security, old age, disability, and survivors’ pension schemes.... social security benefits

Emotional, instrumental and financial assistance obtained from an individual’s social network. Social support provided by family, friends and neighbours is referred to as ‘informal support’, whereas social support provided by formal service agencies is called ‘formal support’.... social support

An intervention designed to enhance an individual’s physical, mental and social functioning through improved coping skills and use of social supports and community health care services. Those who practise social work are generally called social workers. There are many different types, specialties and grades of social worker. Those who specialize in care of older adults are often called geriatric or gerontological social workers.... social work

A group of people who share a common bond (e.g. caregivers, patients, families of patients) who come together on a regular basis to share problems and experiences or keep in contact in other ways (e.g. the Internet).... support group

A collective term for disorders such as Asperger’s syndrome and autism, which begin in childhood. Problems tend to persist throughout life.... social and communication disorders

A form of behaviour modification in which individuals are encouraged to improve their ability to communicate.

This is an important part of rehabilitation for people with mental handicap or those with chronic psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Role-playing is a commonly used technique in which various social situations are simulated in order to improve the individual’s confidence and performance.... social skills training

any one of the many types into which a person’s blood may be classified, based on the presence or absence of certain inherited antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. Blood of one group contains antibodies in the serum that react against the cells of other groups.

There are more than 30 blood group systems, one of the most important of which is the ABO system. This system is based on the presence or absence of antigens A and B: blood of groups A and B contains antigens A and B, respectively; group AB contains both antigens and group O neither. Blood of group A contains antibodies to antigen B; group B blood contains anti-A antibodies or *isoagglutinins; group AB has neither antibody and group O has both. A person whose blood contains either (or both) of these antibodies cannot receive a transfusion of blood containing the corresponding antigens. The table illustrates which blood groups can be used in transfusion for each of the four groups.

Blood group... blood group

Blood group of people donor can receive blood from... donor’s blood group

(CCGs) self-governing bodies set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, following the abolition of *primary care trusts and *strategic health authorities, to commission most NHS services in England. CCGs are formed of all GP practices within a given geographical area, and all GP practices must belong to a clinical commissioning group. All CCGs have their own constitution and governing body, which (in addition to GPs) must include at least one registered nurse and at least one secondary care specialist doctor. There are currently 195 CCGs in England.... clinical commissioning groups

(in Britain) any of the groups that work with NHS foundation trusts to represent the views of patients and other interested parties in setting the strategic direction of the trust. They are often formed around specific disease categories or patient groups (e.g. deaf patients, children in care).... community interest group

(DHSC) (in Britain) a department of central government that supports the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in meeting his or her obligations, which include the *National Health Service, the promotion and protection of the health of the nation, and social care, including some oversight of personal social services provided by local authorities. The department is staffed by civil servants, including some health professionals. Following the reforms of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the Department no longer has direct control of the NHS, which has passed to *NHS England. The name of the department was expanded from ‘Department of Health’ in 2018. Equivalent departments support the ministers responsible for health services in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

DHSC section of the website: provides information on a wide range of public health issues... department of health and social care

(GBS) a Gram-positive bacterium that causes life-threatening infections in newborn infants following vaginal delivery (see Streptococcus; Lancefield classification). 20% of pregnant women are carriers and have no symptoms; however, *vertical transmission of the bacterium from mother to fetus at the time of delivery may lead to neonatal sepsis, characterized by pneumonia, meningitis, and death in some cases. Antibiotic prophylaxis with penicillin during labour is recommended for women with risk factors or who are known to be carriers.... group b streptococcus

(HSCIC) formerly, an executive nondepartmental public body set up in April 2013 to collect, analyse, and publish UK national health data and supply IT systems and services to health-care providers nationwide. It was rebranded as *NHS Digital in August 2016.... health and social care information centre

a social worker employed to assist hospital patients with social problems that may arise through illness. See also social services.... hospital social worker

an extreme fear of humiliating or embarrassing oneself in social situations (e.g. dating, parties, eating with other people, asking questions, etc.). Symptoms include shaking, blushing, gastrointestinal disturbances, sweating, and other signs of anxiety; people with social anxiety disorder may avoid social situations. Treatment includes cognitive behavioural therapy, occupational therapy, and medication (e.g. antidepressants, anxiolytics, or beta blockers).... social anxiety disorder

see National Statistics Socio-economic Classification.... social class

the application of marketing techniques to achieve behaviour change for a social benefit, for example reduction in *health inequalities.... social marketing

see social services.... social worker

see National Statistics Socio-economic Classification.... socio-economic group