JCT Student Research at the Annual Sociology Conference

Research Conducted by JCT Student Presented at the Annual Sociology Conference

Shaul Horwitz, a third year nursing student at the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) – Lev Academic Center, conducted innovative research as part of his work in connection with the honors program, supervised by Zvika Orr and Dr. Adi Finkelstein. The study was presented during the annual conference of the Israel Sociology Society, which took place on the Open University's Ra'anana Campus. This is the largest and most prestigious conference in the field of sociology in Israel, attracting major researchers from Israel and abroad. The study was presented by Shaul Horwitz during a panel on the subject of disability studies. The study dealt with the processes of recognizing a disability resulting from chronic disorder, by examining the case of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. These disorders are chronic disorders that restrict patient function, however, no known medical source has been found, and consensus has yet to be reached regarding methods of diagnosis. While many countries have already recognized these and similar disorders, patients in Israel face many obstacles such as not receiving medical diagnosis and benefits.

The study sheds new light regarding the manner in which society and the Israeli and international body politic deal with chronic patients in general and with medical ambiguity in particular. The paper written by Shaul Horwitz, Zvika Orr and Dr. Adi Finkelstein, suggests policy methods that may improve the patients' quality of life. Later this year, Shaul plans to submit the study to an international journal.