The contribution of social science to international health training

Abstract

Today the comprehensive scope of many international health programs calls for personnel— planners, educators, researchers, and practitioners—trained in a wide range of health related areas. This article explores the contributions which social science knowledge and skills can make to such training. First, it documents the growing importance of social science in international health and delineates several topical areas—ecological, political-economic, socio-cultural, and organizational—where a social science perspective can be particularly useful. Next, it discusses strategies for developing a curriculum that will integrate relevant social science material into health care training. These include the selection of appropriate training staff and the development of competency-based curricula based upon actual work situations. Finally, the article describes specific ‘experiential’ training techniques which can be employed in the classroom as well as in the field to achieve program objectives.