Traditional and new forms of patient expertise: Together with doctors or versus them?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu12.2023.407Abstract
The article outlines and discusses two opposite perspectives of medical practitioners in relation to patients’ attempts to form lay medical expertise. The author conceptualizes these two
approaches as thought styles and the corresponding communities of doctors as “thought collectives” (L.Fleck). The two thought styles are distinguished based on four characteristics: attitudes towards interaction with patients, particular ways of making sense of alternative forms
of expertise, strategies for resolving conflicts with patients, and outlooks on professional
knowledge and its place outside the medical community. One of the thought collectives —
monopolization collective — is committed to a paternalistic model of medical care, and the
corresponding style of thought does not allow noticing and acknowledging patient expertise.
Patients’ attempts at joining the professional medical rationale are resisted by these medical professionals, and in situations of disagreement or conflicts doctors use a closed strategy for their resolution. Physicians from monopolization collective are skeptical about translating
medical knowledge outside of practitioners. In contrast, doctors who adopt a co-construction
thought style follow the logic of partnership when interacting with patients. Such a style allows
medical practitioners to recognize the value in patient expertise and include it in a dialogue
and disease management. When conflicts and differences of opinions arise, doctors follow
open and intermediate strategies for their resolution, which implies additional efforts to build
communication with patients. At the same time, there is a clear demand from this collective
for the creation of high-quality popular science and educational materials for patients. High
quality translation of medical knowledge is seen as a necessary means of including patients in
productive co-production of expertise.
Keywords:
sociology of medicine, sociology of expertise, lay expertise, doctor — patient interaction, style of thought, online sources
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References
Литература
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Forkner-Dunn J. Internet-based patient self-care: The next generation of health care delivery. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2003, vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. e8–e12.
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Godolphin W. The role of risk communication in shared decision making. BMJ, 2003, vol. 327, iss. 7417, pp. 692–693.
Hardey M. ‘E-health’: The internet and the transformation of patients into consumers and producers of health knowledge. Information, Communication & Society, 2001, vol. 4, iss. 3, pp. 388–405.
Herrmann-Werner A., Weber H., Loda T., Keifenheim K.E., Erschens R., Mölbert S.C., Nikendei C., Zipfel S., Masters K. “But Dr Google said…” — Training medical students how to communicate with E-patients. Medical Teacher, 2019, vol. 41, iss. 12, pp. 1434–1440.
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Lupton D. Medicine as Culture: Illness disease and the body in Western societies. 2nd ed. London, Sage, 2003.
Masters K. Preparing medical students for the e-patient. Medical Teacher, 2017, vol. 39, iss. 7, pp. 681–685.
Masters K., Ng’ambi D., Todd G. “I Found it on the Internet”: Preparing for the e-patient in Oman. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 2010, vol. 10, iss. 2, pp. 169–187.
McMullan M. Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: How this affects the patient — health professional relationship. Patient Education and Counseling, 2006, vol. 63, iss. 1–2, pp. 24–28.
Prior L. Belief, knowledge and expertise: The emergence of the lay expert in medical sociology. Sociology of Health & Illness, 2003, vol. 25, iss. 3, pp. 41–57.
Rice R. E., Katz J. E. Internet use in physician practice and patient interaction. In: Murero M., Rice R. E.(eds). The Internet and Health Care: Theory, research and practice. New York. Routledge, 2006, pp. 149–176.
Rose N. The Politics of Life Itself: Biomedicine, Power, and Subjectivity in the Twenty-First Century. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2007.
Saunders J. The practice of clinical medicine as an art and as a science. Medical Humanities, 2000, vol. 26, iss. 1, pp. 18–22.
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Published
2024-06-05
How to Cite
Ivanova, A. A. (2024). Traditional and new forms of patient expertise: Together with doctors or versus them?. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology, 16(4), 458–474. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu12.2023.407
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Sociology of Health and Medicine
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Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.
