Writing the patient down and out

The Construal of the Patient in Medical Certificates of Disability

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2249183
AutoresGuri Aarseth (0000-0002-3159-4636, Department of General Practice Institute of Health and Society Faculty of Medicine University of Oslo Norway, autor de correspondencia), Bård Natvig (0000-0001-8931-9496, Department of Health Sciences Institute of health and society, Faculty of medicine University of Oslo Norway), Eivind Engebretsen (0000-0001-9455-110X, Department of Health Sciences Institute of health and society, Faculty of medicine University of Oslo Norway), Eva Maagerø (Department of languages University College of Southeast Norway Norway), Anne Helene Kveim Lie (Department of Community Medicine Institute of Health and Society Faculty of Medicine University of Oslo Norway)
Año2016
Volumen38
Número8
Páginas1379-1395
Fecha de publicación2016-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-9566.12481
PMID27801523
OpenAlexW2547832671
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas32

We analysed a set of medical certificates to investigate howGPs portray patients who seek disability benefits in Norway, focusing on patient centredness, agency and involvement. We performed a qualitative linguistic analysis of 33 medical certificates collected throughout Norway that were strategically selected based on the patients' sex, age and diagnosis. We found that patients were represented as passive carriers of symptoms, in whom agency was low, failed, conditional or non-existing, or as passive objects of the actions of impersonalised others. Conversely, symptoms were foregrounded as independent and powerful actors. The patient's experience of illness was sometimes reported, but the perspective of theGPtended to be doctor oriented, rather than patient centred. The policy of the social services, which emphasises patient involvement, patient centredness and work, rather than social benefits, was almost completely absent from these medical certificates. If medical certificates are to be a valid basis for decisions within the social services, we suggest that doctor paternalism in these documents must give way to considering the patient as an involved and co-responsible individual in the processes of disability assessment

Agency (philosophy · Construal level theory · Family medicine · Medical sociology · Paternalism · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Public health · Qualitative research · Set (abstract data type · Sociology · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare · Psychology · Social Psychology