Modern Theoretical and Methodological Approaches in Medical Sociology Research: A Future Perspective

The current research aims to investigate recent global trends in medical sociology research and identify recent and contemporary theoretical and methodological models in the approach to medical sociology. To achieve this objective, the research relied on three axes, which are, respectively, a review of the historical development of the concepts, topics and theories of medical sociology, then monitoring the global status of the research topic, with a focus on specialized scientific periodicals and journals, and finally setting an agenda for future research in medical sociology by using the content analysis method for a group of recent books and articles in the field of medical sociology. The research reached a set of results, the most important of which is the emergence of a variety of topics and issues in the field of medical sociology that are closely related to global developments and global transformations along with the spread of virtual communities. The research also revealed the emergence of new theoretical concepts and models, in addition to the use of methodological approaches closely related to the new social reality, informatics, and the knowledge economy, as a perspective that is in line with the post-modern trend, the thing that required the use of new methodologies such as para methodology and others in analyzing the fields of medical sociology. The research also recommended the need for an integrated and systematic theoretical renewal that is commensurate with the nature of digital transformations, and opens new horizons for future medical sociology studies.