Heath-etal2018

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Heath-etal2018
BibType ARTICLE
Key Heath-etal2018
Author(s) Christian Heath, Paul Luff, Marcus Sanchez-Svensson, Maxim Nicholls
Title Exchanging implements: the micro-materialities of multidisciplinary work in the operating theatre
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Medical, embodiment, surgery/surgeons, teamwork, interaction analysis, ethnomethodology, visual methods, Medical EMCA
Publisher
Year 2018
Language English
City
Month
Journal Sociology of Health & Illness
Volume 40
Number 2
Pages 297–313
URL Link
DOI 10.1111/1467-9566.12594
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

Surgical procedures rely upon an array of commonplace tools, implements and materials that mediate practice and disciplinary collaboration within the operating theatre. Substantial time is dedicated to the issue and provision of these artefacts and their timely exchange is critical to the successful accomplishment of surgical procedures. In this article, we consider the practice, knowledge and agency that informs how particular implements and materials are passed by the scrub nurse to the surgeon that in turn enables their deployment with regard to the particular procedure and the contingencies ‘at hand’. We address the technicalities of these ‘non-technical skills’ and examine how they rely upon a disciplinary vision and interactional organisation that informs both the scrutiny of action and the ways in which implements and materials are handled and exchanged. We explore the implications of our analysis for our understanding of agency in action and the growing interest in developing robots or autonomous agents to support work and collaboration in health care.

Notes