Margaret Robbins
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780192626219
- eISBN:
- 9780191730016
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192626219.001.0001
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Palliative Medicine Research, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making
The past 30 years has seen a huge expansion in the provision of palliative care services. Because palliative medicine is a multidisciplinary specialty – combining the expertise of oncologists, ...
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The past 30 years has seen a huge expansion in the provision of palliative care services. Because palliative medicine is a multidisciplinary specialty – combining the expertise of oncologists, anaesthetists, nurses, and many other therapeutic groups – the effectiveness of such treatment can be very difficult to measure. Additionally, research involving terminally ill patients and their carers can also present a number of practical and ethical problems. In spite of this, current health policy demands evidence of the effectiveness and value for money of health service interventions at all levels of complexity, including the service level. This book provides an introduction to the theory and practice of the evaluation of palliative care services. It examines the methodological issues involved in the evaluation of palliative care and outlines a practical approach that is readily applicable to many other health care interventions. In particular, research issues involving terminally ill patients and their carers are analysed and discussed, and approaches suggested for future work.Less
The past 30 years has seen a huge expansion in the provision of palliative care services. Because palliative medicine is a multidisciplinary specialty – combining the expertise of oncologists, anaesthetists, nurses, and many other therapeutic groups – the effectiveness of such treatment can be very difficult to measure. Additionally, research involving terminally ill patients and their carers can also present a number of practical and ethical problems. In spite of this, current health policy demands evidence of the effectiveness and value for money of health service interventions at all levels of complexity, including the service level. This book provides an introduction to the theory and practice of the evaluation of palliative care services. It examines the methodological issues involved in the evaluation of palliative care and outlines a practical approach that is readily applicable to many other health care interventions. In particular, research issues involving terminally ill patients and their carers are analysed and discussed, and approaches suggested for future work.
Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520088962
- eISBN:
- 9780520922037
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520088962.003.0011
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
Part III of this book explores the narrative strategies that are used by academic oncologists to join two different worlds in clinical work with patients. It examines another facet of the puzzle of ...
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Part III of this book explores the narrative strategies that are used by academic oncologists to join two different worlds in clinical work with patients. It examines another facet of the puzzle of the meaning of competence and brings the patient back into the picture to address how physician competence is socially produced through interactions with patients and through the construction of clinical narratives that join clinical science with clinical care. It focuses on the clinical narratives that integrate these two worlds of oncology and draw patients into therapeutic activity. Those who study the specialty raise questions about the tension and potential conflict of interests inherent in the two roles of the oncologist.Less
Part III of this book explores the narrative strategies that are used by academic oncologists to join two different worlds in clinical work with patients. It examines another facet of the puzzle of the meaning of competence and brings the patient back into the picture to address how physician competence is socially produced through interactions with patients and through the construction of clinical narratives that join clinical science with clinical care. It focuses on the clinical narratives that integrate these two worlds of oncology and draw patients into therapeutic activity. Those who study the specialty raise questions about the tension and potential conflict of interests inherent in the two roles of the oncologist.
Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520088962
- eISBN:
- 9780520922037
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520088962.003.0012
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
This chapter examines competence in the context of high specialty medicine. It focuses on the practice of oncology and examines how specialty concepts about competence are institutionalized in the ...
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This chapter examines competence in the context of high specialty medicine. It focuses on the practice of oncology and examines how specialty concepts about competence are institutionalized in the clinical narratives and narrative strategies created for patients which are intended to join the two worlds of uncertain science and therapeutics with patient care. Good care includes helping patients collaborate in selecting a good course of action, but it also includes helping patients feel that a chosen course constitutes the best possible care for them. Skilled clinicians are often quite conscious of the importance of this aspect of their work, especially women oncologists who treat breast cancer patients.Less
This chapter examines competence in the context of high specialty medicine. It focuses on the practice of oncology and examines how specialty concepts about competence are institutionalized in the clinical narratives and narrative strategies created for patients which are intended to join the two worlds of uncertain science and therapeutics with patient care. Good care includes helping patients collaborate in selecting a good course of action, but it also includes helping patients feel that a chosen course constitutes the best possible care for them. Skilled clinicians are often quite conscious of the importance of this aspect of their work, especially women oncologists who treat breast cancer patients.