The evolution of weak standards
The case of the Swedish rheumatology quality registry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2249209 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna Essén (0000-0003-3566-8409, Stockholm School of Economics Research Institute Stockholm School of Economics Institute for Research Stockholm Sweden, corresponding author), Michael Sauder (0000-0002-6871-5905, Department of Sociology University of Iowa Iowa City USA) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 513-531 |
| Publication date | 2017-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9566.12507 |
| PMID | 27882568 |
| OpenAlex | W2556222576 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 34 |
Research in sociology suggests that the effects of standards are not nearly as straightforward or as homogenising as they first appear. The present study extends these insights by demonstrating how even standards designed simply to collect data can produce extensive and unanticipated effects in medical fields as their uses evolve across actors and contexts. We draw on an embedded case study exploring the multifaceted consequences of the use of a practice-driven voluntary documentation standard: the Swedish rheumatology quality registry from 1995-2014. Data collection included document analysis; 100 interviews with specialists, patients and stakeholders in the field; fieldwork; and observations of physician-patient encounters. Our findings show that the scope and influence of the registry increased over time, and that this standard and its evolution contributed to changes in rheumatologist clinical practice, research practice, and governmental practice. These findings suggest that even initially 'weak', voluntary forms of standardisation can generate far-reaching and unpredictable consequences for the performance and delivery of care as well as for the development of a medical field. Future work about how standards can contribute both to uniformity and diversity is warranted
Diversity (politics · Documentation · Field (mathematics · Medical education · Medical record · Political science · Public relations · Quality (philosophy · Scope (computer science · Sociology · Clinical practice guidelines implementation · Computer Science · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation
Pharmaceutical Reason
Standards
Evidence based medicine
Beyond Neopositivists, Romantics, and Localists
Evaluating the Quality of Medical Care
Case Study Research
Studies in ethnomethodology
Situated Intervention
Accumulating and Coordinating
Making the Pap Smear into the `Right Tool' for the Job
Defining an epidemic
New Public Management in Public Sector Organizations
When the standards aren't standard
Innovation as emergence in healthcare
Objectification, standardization, and commodification in health care
Standards and classification
The Discipline of Rankings
A World of Standards but not a Standard World
Standardising antisocial personality disorder
Rankings and Reactivity
| Citations per year | 0.22 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2022 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |