Resource Constraints in the Health Service and the Home: An Investigation of Practical and Ethical Implications

As pressures on health service resources (including staff time) rise, attention turns to the potential for patients and their families and communities to do more of the work of health care for themselves. But levels of socioeconomic inequality and deprivation are also rising, and some people are more able than others to secure support and care beyond formal services.

This project will investigate how health service personnel and/or patients and their families experience the combination of these challenges. The precise questions and method can be shaped by the student’s interests, in discussion with the supervisors. There is plenty of scope for the project to reflect students’ interests in particular health/health service domains, particular population groups, and/or particular research approaches, but we do particularly encourage some attention to ethical analysis (of what kind of responses to the challenges of resource limitations are better, and why). You can check out the supervisors’ particular interests and previous publications at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/hsru/people/vikki.entwistle/ and http://www.abdn.ac.uk/iahs/profiles/m.ryan.

This project is most likely to suit students with a good grounding in social sciences and/or moral or political philosophy. Experience of conducting research at Masters level will be a distinct advantage.

Prospective students should include a written statement of no more than 1,000 words that outlines their initial ideas about how they would like to focus and conduct this project. Please upload this document with your formal application.