15įrom a network perspective, it is the structure of the network and how the structural properties affect behaviour that is informative, not simply the characteristics of the network members (the latter comprise attribute datasets). See Wellman for an overview of the concept of the social network and a history of network analysis.

It has a long history in sociology and mathematics and it is creeping into health research as its analytical methods become more accessible with user friendly software. That is, structure is derived from the regularities in the patterning of relationships among social entities, which might be people, groups, or organisations. Social network analysis is the study of structure. 6– 8 There is also a strong tradition of using inter-organisational network analysis to investigate patterns of healthcare delivery such as referral patterns, service integration, coordination, and collaboration. 4, 5 Network analysis is becoming popular in infectious disease epidemiology, especially HIV. 1– 3 Networks and network resources are also an important component of the growing literature on social capital.

The role of one’s personal social networks in the development of morbidity and mortality is a well established field of inquiry in social epidemiology. These relationships can be investigated empirically. But other times, it is used with more specific intention to describe the relationships that exist between groups of individuals or agencies, and the resources to which membership of such groups facilitates access. The word is often used synonymously for “partnership”, “collaboration”, “alliance”, or even “group”. “Network” is an increasingly popular word in health research and health services delivery.

Network analysis definition sociology