Sociological theory and pharmacy practice research: (1) An introduction to sociology—and what it can do for pharmacy practice research

This is the first in a series of papers seeking to demonstrate the relevance of sociological theory to the contemporary debates found in pharmacy practice research. In producing this series, we hope to stimulate a critical appreciation of sociological theorising as it might be applied to pharmacy practice research. We aim to achieve this through an exploration of the ways in which sociological theory has already been applied to areas of health care practice, in some cases providing exciting, illuminating and thought provoking insights. The examples of research which we draw upon will be supplemented by a series of questions as to how sociological theories might be more fruitfully employed in the framing of questions specific to pharmacy practice research. We will also provide an extensive reading list for those interested in finding out more.

We first feel the need to argue our “case” for greater engagement between sociology and pharmacy practice research. Why might pharmacy practice researchers find sociological theory useful in their work? After addressing this question, we attempt to define what sociology might be, draw attention to some aspects of the nature of sociological thinking and then describe what is to come in the forthcoming series of papers.