Claiming Power in Doctor–Patient Talk

Bibliographic Data

ID19973686
AuthorsNancy Ainsworth‐vaughn (corresponding author), Nancy Ainsworth-Vaughn
Year1998
Pages212
Publication date1998-06-25
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueClaiming power in doctor-patient talk (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University PressNew York, NY (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/oso/9780195096064.001.0001
OpenAlexW4388168481
Open LibraryOL689221M
ISBN9780195096064
LanguageEN
Citations received53

Nancy Ainsworth-Vaughn studied stories, topic control, "true" questions, and rhetorical questions in 101 medical encounters in US private-practice settings. In exceptionally lucid and accessible style, Ainsworth-Vaughn explains how power was claimed by and co-constructed for both patients and doctors (previous studies have focused upon doctors' power). The discourse varied along a continuum from interview-like talk to conversational talk. Six chapters are organized around data and include extended examples of actual talk in detailed transcription; four of these data-oriented chapters focus upon dynamic, moment-to-moment use of speech activities in emerging discourse, such as doctors' and patients' stories that co-constructed selves, and a patient's sexual rhetorical questions. Two more chapters offer non-statistical quantitative data on the frequency of questioning and sudden topic changes in relation to gender, diagnosis, and other factors. Contributing to discourse theory, Ainsworth-Vaughn significantly modifies previous definitions for topic transitions and rhetorical questions and discovers the role of storytelling in diagnosis. The final chapter provides implications for physicians and medical educators

Epistemology · Linguistics · Narrative · Power (physics) · Rhetorical question · Sociology · Storytelling · Management and Organizational Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social Psychology · Communication · Interpersonal relations · Oral communication · Physician and patient · Physician-Patient Relations · Psychological Power