The political role of illness narratives

Abstract

Cultural criticism is used to describe the political role of autobiographical illness narratives or pathographies. In expressing the subjective experience of illness, authors of pathographies illuminate ideological differences between patient and health care cultures, reveal the dominance of health care ideologies, and explicate patients' moral and political claims. The contributions of these literary works to nursing practice provide direction for relational restructuring. Gadow's concept of the relational narrative is proposed as a way to restore patient subjectivity and agency and establish the dialogue necessary for cultural pluralism in nursing and health care.

Using a patient narrative to influence orthopaedic nursing care in fractured hips

“…Thus making sense of the experience by binding together the events, feelings, thoughts and sensations that occur during an illness into an integrated whole (Hawkins, 1993). Sakalys (2000) suggests that it is critical to note that illness is experienced in relation to a particular configuration of cultural ideologies, practices and attitudes. Patient narratives expose this cultural configuration, demonstrating how cultural and social meaning shape the illness experience and the identity of the sick, illuminating conflict between patient and health care cultures, and expressing cultural and political critique.…”

Motivation, justification, normalization: Talk strategies used by Canadian medical tourists regarding their choices to go abroad for hip and knee surgeries

“…They are valuable in illuminating the challenges faced by patients with illnesses and impairments, the meanings assigned to being ill or healthy, and the decision-making process with regard to undergoing treatment (Ochs & Capps, 1996;Sakalys, 2000). Health researchers have used patient narratives as a source of information across a number of disciplines.…”

“…Patient narratives are stories or retrospective accounts of health, illness, impairment and/or medical treatment from the patient's perspective (Sakalys, 2000). They are valuable in illuminating the challenges faced by patients with illnesses and impairments, the meanings assigned to being ill or healthy, and the decision-making process with regard to undergoing treatment (Ochs & Capps, 1996;Sakalys, 2000).…”

“…Sakalys (2000) emphasizes the value of narratives as a challenge to dominant health care ideologies and practices. In the current analysis narratives are used to challenge the expected behaviour of seeking surgery domestically within the public health care system.…”

Professional Competences of Music Therapists Working in Post-stroke Rehabilitation

“…This is in contrast to many prevailing methods of treatment. According to Sakalys (2000), the empiricist tradition of medicine in the West, with its accompanying objectivism, reductionism and materialism, effectively narrows medicine's focus down to the body and the physical manifestations of stroke rather than the whole individual who has suffered a stroke. This was seen in the hospital, where patients were more easily described by their particular complaint: the left hemiplegia in room 15 the neglect by the window These are systems of identification that are endemic to health care institutions in general, where it is all too easy to objectify the person who is the patient and, in so doing, dominate them quite unnecessarily and perhaps detrimentally.…”