Andreas Vilhelmsson | Lund University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Andreas Vilhelmsson
Acta Sociologica
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has spread globally in a short period of time and qui... more The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has spread globally in a short period of time and quickly developed into a pandemic. In connection with its progress, entire cities and countries have been closed down, people are quarantined, and infrastructure and trade have been suspended. As this is a new virus, no vaccine or antiviral drugs are available, but instead non-medical measures such as social distancing may be used to reduce the spread. The Nordic countries, which are known for their similar welfare systems, have chosen pandemic strategies without coordinating with their neighbours. Over one night, Denmark closed the bridge to Sweden and shut down its society, while Sweden keeps as much open as possible and recommends its residents to comply with general advice on reducing the spread. Notably, this is the second time in a short time where Denmark and Sweden diverge in their pandemic response. In 2009, during the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak, Denmark only vaccinated risk-groups ...
Sociology of Health & Illness
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences
PloS one, 2018
Individuals with low levels of education systematically have worse health than those with medium ... more Individuals with low levels of education systematically have worse health than those with medium or high levels of education. Yet there are few examples of attempts to summarize the evidence supporting the efficacy of interventions targeting health-related behavior among individuals with low education levels, and a large part of the literature is descriptive rather than analytical. A rapid review was carried out to examine the impact of such interventions. Special attention was given to the relative impact of the interventions among individuals with low education levels and their potential to reduce health inequality. Of 1,365 articles initially identified, only 31 were deemed relevant for the review, and of those, nine met the inclusion and quality criteria. The comparability of included studies was limited due to differences in study design, sample characteristics, and definitions of exposure and outcome variables. Therefore, instead of performing a formal meta-analysis, an overal...
Journal of Public Health
Background Little is known about how pharmaceutical companies lobby authorities or experts regard... more Background Little is known about how pharmaceutical companies lobby authorities or experts regarding procurement or the use of vaccines and antivirals. This paper investigates how members of Denmark's pandemic planning committee experienced lobbying efforts by Roche, manufacturer of Tamiflu, the antiviral that was stockpiled before the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic. Methods Analysis of interviews with six of seven members of the Danish core pandemic committee, supplemented with documentary analysis. We sought to identify (1) arguments and (2) tactics used in lobbying, and to characterize interviewees' views on the impact of (3) lobbying and (4) scientific evidence on the decision to stockpile Tamiflu. Results Roche lobbied directly (in its own name) and through a seemingly independent third party. Roche used two arguments: (1) the procurement agreement had to be signed quickly because the drug would be delivered on a first-come, first-served basis and (2) Denmark was especially vulnerable to an influenza crisis because it had smaller Tamiflu stocks than other countries. Most interviewees suspected that lobbying had an impact on Tamiflu procurement. Conclusions Our study highlights risks posed by pharmaceutical lobbying. Arguments and tactics deployed by Roche are likely to be repeated whenever many countries are negotiating drug procurements in a monopolistic market.
Theorizing Native Studies, 2014
Socialmedicinsk Tidskrift, Mar 18, 2014
Cureus, 2017
The real paradigm shift for healthcare is often stated to include a transition from accentuating ... more The real paradigm shift for healthcare is often stated to include a transition from accentuating health care production and instead emphasize patient value by moving to a 'value-based health care delivery'. In this transition, personalized medicine is sometimes referred to as almost a panacea in solving the current and future health challenges. In theory, the progress of precision medicine sounds uncontroversial and most welcomed with its promise of a better healthcare for all, with real benefits for the individual patient provided a tailored and optimized treatment plan suitable for his or her genetic makeup. And maybe, therefore, the assumptions underpinning personalized medicine have largely escaped questioning. The use of personalized medicine and the use of digital technologies is reshaping our health care system and how we think of health interventions and our individual responsibility. However, encouraging individuals to engage in preventive health activities possibly avoids one form of medicalization (clinical), but on the other hand, it takes up another form (preventive medicine and 'self-care') that moves medical and health concerns into every corner of everyday life. This ought to be of little value to the individual patient and public health. We ought to instead demand proof of these value ideas and the lacking research. Before this is in place critical appraisal and cynicism are requisite skills for the future. Otherwise, we are just listening to visionaries when we put our future health into their hands and let personalized solutions reach into people's everyday life regardless of patient safety and integrity.
Socialmedicinsk Tidskrift, Nov 25, 2014
![Research paper thumbnail of Book review: Jämlikhetsanden (in Swedish) [The spirit level]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/43060732/thumbnails/1.jpg)
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medicinhistoriskasyd.se.webbhotell. …
Syftet med denna artikel är att undersöka vad som menas med psykisk ohälsa och vad det innebär at... more Syftet med denna artikel är att undersöka vad som menas med psykisk ohälsa och vad det innebär att psykisk ohälsa ses som ett folkhälsoproblem. Världshälsoorganisationen (WHO) beräknar att psykisk ohälsa i form av depression kommer att stå för den största sjukdomsbördan i den utvecklade världen år 2020 och år 2030, och menar därför att ett folkhälsoperspektiv är ett lämpligt sätt att möta detta hot. Det finns dock en motståndarsida till dessa alarmerande rapporter kring psykisk ohälsa som menar att dessa beräkningar har sin grund i frågemetoderna själva, och anser därmed att det istället rör sig om en ökad medikalisering av sociala problem. Artikeln behandlar därför olika tolkningar av psykisk ohälsa i termer av ett historiskt perspektiv på psykiatrins framväxt och den förändrade syn som skett gälland psykisk ohälsa kopplat till medikalisering. Även folkhälsobrgreppet förklaras i syfte att förstå psykisk ohälsa som ett potentiellt folkhälsoproblem. Konklusionen blir att det finns en risk att utifrån begreppsglidning att fokus flyttas från de som har svårare symtom av psykisk ohälsa för att inkludera alltfler i termer av behandling, vilket kan leda till slöseri av redan små resurser. Vi behöver därför ha tydligare och bättre utarbetade sätt att tänka kring den ökande fokuseringen kring psykisk ohälsa som ett folkhälsoproblem, och för att veta vilka förebyggande metoder som är tänkta att användas.
Frontiers in Public Health, 2015
Social-Medicinsk tidskrift
Social medicine and public health have through history had a common and contemporary development ... more Social medicine and public health have through history had a common and contemporary development and therefore shared common beliefs about what population health is and how it ought to be handled. It is with Industrialization that social medicine has its roots, when dramatic society changes contributed to an interest towards causes in the social environment or in the political economic structure to explain contemporary illness. This is also valid today, when public health focus more and more on social causes to ill health. For that reason, the different disciplines can help each other in handling future public health issues in order to focus on broader social interventions in promotion of health. The central aim of the new public health is a focus on reducing health inequalities based on unjust social arrangements and processes, and much of the research done lately indicate a relationship between inequality in a society and health status. Therefore, public health efforts must not lo...
Acta Sociologica
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has spread globally in a short period of time and qui... more The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has spread globally in a short period of time and quickly developed into a pandemic. In connection with its progress, entire cities and countries have been closed down, people are quarantined, and infrastructure and trade have been suspended. As this is a new virus, no vaccine or antiviral drugs are available, but instead non-medical measures such as social distancing may be used to reduce the spread. The Nordic countries, which are known for their similar welfare systems, have chosen pandemic strategies without coordinating with their neighbours. Over one night, Denmark closed the bridge to Sweden and shut down its society, while Sweden keeps as much open as possible and recommends its residents to comply with general advice on reducing the spread. Notably, this is the second time in a short time where Denmark and Sweden diverge in their pandemic response. In 2009, during the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak, Denmark only vaccinated risk-groups ...
Sociology of Health & Illness
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences
PloS one, 2018
Individuals with low levels of education systematically have worse health than those with medium ... more Individuals with low levels of education systematically have worse health than those with medium or high levels of education. Yet there are few examples of attempts to summarize the evidence supporting the efficacy of interventions targeting health-related behavior among individuals with low education levels, and a large part of the literature is descriptive rather than analytical. A rapid review was carried out to examine the impact of such interventions. Special attention was given to the relative impact of the interventions among individuals with low education levels and their potential to reduce health inequality. Of 1,365 articles initially identified, only 31 were deemed relevant for the review, and of those, nine met the inclusion and quality criteria. The comparability of included studies was limited due to differences in study design, sample characteristics, and definitions of exposure and outcome variables. Therefore, instead of performing a formal meta-analysis, an overal...
Journal of Public Health
Background Little is known about how pharmaceutical companies lobby authorities or experts regard... more Background Little is known about how pharmaceutical companies lobby authorities or experts regarding procurement or the use of vaccines and antivirals. This paper investigates how members of Denmark's pandemic planning committee experienced lobbying efforts by Roche, manufacturer of Tamiflu, the antiviral that was stockpiled before the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic. Methods Analysis of interviews with six of seven members of the Danish core pandemic committee, supplemented with documentary analysis. We sought to identify (1) arguments and (2) tactics used in lobbying, and to characterize interviewees' views on the impact of (3) lobbying and (4) scientific evidence on the decision to stockpile Tamiflu. Results Roche lobbied directly (in its own name) and through a seemingly independent third party. Roche used two arguments: (1) the procurement agreement had to be signed quickly because the drug would be delivered on a first-come, first-served basis and (2) Denmark was especially vulnerable to an influenza crisis because it had smaller Tamiflu stocks than other countries. Most interviewees suspected that lobbying had an impact on Tamiflu procurement. Conclusions Our study highlights risks posed by pharmaceutical lobbying. Arguments and tactics deployed by Roche are likely to be repeated whenever many countries are negotiating drug procurements in a monopolistic market.
Theorizing Native Studies, 2014
Socialmedicinsk Tidskrift, Mar 18, 2014
Cureus, 2017
The real paradigm shift for healthcare is often stated to include a transition from accentuating ... more The real paradigm shift for healthcare is often stated to include a transition from accentuating health care production and instead emphasize patient value by moving to a 'value-based health care delivery'. In this transition, personalized medicine is sometimes referred to as almost a panacea in solving the current and future health challenges. In theory, the progress of precision medicine sounds uncontroversial and most welcomed with its promise of a better healthcare for all, with real benefits for the individual patient provided a tailored and optimized treatment plan suitable for his or her genetic makeup. And maybe, therefore, the assumptions underpinning personalized medicine have largely escaped questioning. The use of personalized medicine and the use of digital technologies is reshaping our health care system and how we think of health interventions and our individual responsibility. However, encouraging individuals to engage in preventive health activities possibly avoids one form of medicalization (clinical), but on the other hand, it takes up another form (preventive medicine and 'self-care') that moves medical and health concerns into every corner of everyday life. This ought to be of little value to the individual patient and public health. We ought to instead demand proof of these value ideas and the lacking research. Before this is in place critical appraisal and cynicism are requisite skills for the future. Otherwise, we are just listening to visionaries when we put our future health into their hands and let personalized solutions reach into people's everyday life regardless of patient safety and integrity.
Socialmedicinsk Tidskrift, Nov 25, 2014
medicinhistoriskasyd.se.webbhotell. …
Syftet med denna artikel är att undersöka vad som menas med psykisk ohälsa och vad det innebär at... more Syftet med denna artikel är att undersöka vad som menas med psykisk ohälsa och vad det innebär att psykisk ohälsa ses som ett folkhälsoproblem. Världshälsoorganisationen (WHO) beräknar att psykisk ohälsa i form av depression kommer att stå för den största sjukdomsbördan i den utvecklade världen år 2020 och år 2030, och menar därför att ett folkhälsoperspektiv är ett lämpligt sätt att möta detta hot. Det finns dock en motståndarsida till dessa alarmerande rapporter kring psykisk ohälsa som menar att dessa beräkningar har sin grund i frågemetoderna själva, och anser därmed att det istället rör sig om en ökad medikalisering av sociala problem. Artikeln behandlar därför olika tolkningar av psykisk ohälsa i termer av ett historiskt perspektiv på psykiatrins framväxt och den förändrade syn som skett gälland psykisk ohälsa kopplat till medikalisering. Även folkhälsobrgreppet förklaras i syfte att förstå psykisk ohälsa som ett potentiellt folkhälsoproblem. Konklusionen blir att det finns en risk att utifrån begreppsglidning att fokus flyttas från de som har svårare symtom av psykisk ohälsa för att inkludera alltfler i termer av behandling, vilket kan leda till slöseri av redan små resurser. Vi behöver därför ha tydligare och bättre utarbetade sätt att tänka kring den ökande fokuseringen kring psykisk ohälsa som ett folkhälsoproblem, och för att veta vilka förebyggande metoder som är tänkta att användas.
Frontiers in Public Health, 2015
Social-Medicinsk tidskrift
Social medicine and public health have through history had a common and contemporary development ... more Social medicine and public health have through history had a common and contemporary development and therefore shared common beliefs about what population health is and how it ought to be handled. It is with Industrialization that social medicine has its roots, when dramatic society changes contributed to an interest towards causes in the social environment or in the political economic structure to explain contemporary illness. This is also valid today, when public health focus more and more on social causes to ill health. For that reason, the different disciplines can help each other in handling future public health issues in order to focus on broader social interventions in promotion of health. The central aim of the new public health is a focus on reducing health inequalities based on unjust social arrangements and processes, and much of the research done lately indicate a relationship between inequality in a society and health status. Therefore, public health efforts must not lo...