Vulnerability in the healthcare system: communication between vulnerable patients and healthcare providers

• Autores: Alena Glajchová
• Localización: VII Congrés Català de Sociologia i V Congrés Català de Joves Sociòlegs / Sociòlogues: llibre de resums de les sessions dels Grups de Treball, 2017, ISBN 978-84-8424-611-4, págs. 146-147
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto Completo Libro
• Resumen

  • The concept of vulnerability is defined as susceptibility to harm and threat and as an exposure to risk (Aday 1994). This concept has appeared mainly in the epidemiological and environmental research studies for many years (Delor and Hubert 2000). Today the concept of vulnerability appears in medical sociology, but it‘s still relatively new concept that is overlooked. In the context of medicine, vulnerable patients are considered as those whose autonomy is very low or disturbed, who need a special protection or who are unable to give an informed consent (Ruof 2004). Some bioethical guidelines defines vulnerable groups, such as people with chronic disease, children, elderly, migrants, etc., but these categorizations aren’t allembracing.

    Moreover, there is no evidence about doctor’s perspective about vulnerability and vulnerable patients. On the grounds of bioethical categorization of vulnerable patients and doctor’s evidence I follow up migrant women’s vulnerability. Migrant women have a very high level of vulnerability because of their migration experience and new conditions in the receiving country.

    This contribution aims to present concept of vulnerability, the formation of patient vulnerability and impacts of vulnerability on contact with healthcare system, especially in the case of migrant women. Objective of my research is to find out how do doctors conceptualize vulnerability and how do they think about who is vulnerable patient. Another objective, I try to reveal what is the way of communication with vulnerable patients and what are the difficulties during their interaction within the everyday medical practice.

    My ethnographic findings are built on review of research studies relating to the concept of vulnerability that was the first phase of research. Next, findings will built on participant observation in the healthcare facility (public hospital) and on a number of in-depth interviews with doctors. Presently, I have analyzed ethnographic data and collected some interviews.