Bergen-Stivers2013

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Bergen-Stivers2013
BibType ARTICLE
Key Bergen-Stivers2013
Author(s) Clara Bergen, Tanya Stivers
Title Patient disclosure of medical misdeeds
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Medical EMCA, delicates, laughter
Publisher
Year 2013
Language
City
Month
Journal Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Volume 54
Number 2
Pages 221–240
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/0022146513487379
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

Modern patients walk a tightrope between respecting medical authority and acting as knowledgeable advocates regarding health issues, with the agency and responsibilities that come with this. This article uses conversation analysis to explore this balance in relation to patient disclosures of medical misdeeds in video-recorded primary care medical visits (e.g., taking another’s prescription medication or failing to adhere to a healthy lifestyle or prescription regimen). We focus on patient-initiated disclosures. We show that disclosures are used (1) where patients are seeking physician assessment of their behavior, (2) where patients are proposing the etiology of a health problem, and (3) where patients are lobbying for a particular treatment outcome. We argue that disclosures of medical misdeeds are an important but understudied domain of conduct in which patients show awareness of their own agency over, and responsibility for, their healthcare and respect for the physician’s medical authority.

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