Questioning: A critical skill in postmodern health‐care service delivery

Abstract

Occupational therapists can no longer rely exclusively on biomedical frameworks to guide their practice and facilitate clinical problem-solving. A postmodernist perspective of health and well-being underlines that the illness experience is not a linear, cause-and-effect equation. Rather, life experiences are constructed through a myriad of social, cultural, physical and economic contexts that are highly unique to each individual. In other words, the assumption that 'one-size-fits-all' is as flawed in health care as it is in clothing design. This paper contributes to the growing discussion of health care within the postmodern context of the twenty-first century through first presenting a brief discussion of emerging postmodern thinking and application within the profession, followed by a rationale for the need to scrutinise prevalent modernist assumptions that guide decision-making. Finally, the paper introduces the method of Socratic questioning as a critical tool in successfully carrying out this scrutiny in an empowering and respectful manner for all stakeholders.

Realising skilled companionship in nursing: a utopian idea or difficult challenge?

“…Nurses are incited to navigate a course leading them beyond a purely biomedical framework into a postmodern paradigm that focuses on the patient's personal well‐being (Brown et al . ). The invisibility of many parts of the caring practice makes this aspect of care often subordinate to other more visible activities, particularly in a society that does not value caring (Corbin , Maben ).…”

Postmodernism and beyond in occupational therapy

“…Postmodern occupational therapy challenged modernist views of health and its determinants that had their base in biomedical frameworks, raising questions about mechanistic approaches that drove our professional paradigm during the 1960s to 1970s (Brown, Bannigan & Gill, ; Weinblatt & Avrech‐Bar, ). During the 1980s, when the profession began to challenge these mechanistic incarnations, it found itself floundering to assert a cohesive professional doctrine.…”

Impacts of Socratic questioning on moral reasoning of nursing students

“…25,26 Socratic questioning, which stresses reflection and reasoning, has been referred to as the most effective method of developing critical thinking. 27,28 Yet, reviews of the literature reveal that few studies have addressed the effects of teaching ethics on the development of students’ moral reasoning skills. 5,9 Moreover, previous related studies in Iran have not dealt with the effects of special education techniques on moral reasoning and have only examined the current status of adherence to ethics.…”