Historical, social and cultural context of the professionalisation of doctors, nurses and other therapists Flashcards
Before 1858, according to the GMC in which areas did doctors have professional qualifications to practice?
Only in the area where they learnt
In 1858, which 3 significant changes were introduced by the GMC?
Lead medical education
Introduced professional registration, to practice in other areas
Published pharmacopoeia
What is the pharmacopoeia, and which regulatory body published it in 1858?
Book on qualitative and quantitative composition of medicines
What report was introduced in 1972, and what were its 2 main principles?
Merrison Committee report:
Introduction of regulation for professionals with ‘serious mental/other ill health’
Specialist and GP registration
Why is medicine viewed as a profession instead of an occupation?
Occupations typically focus on specific tasks or activities
while professions involve specialized knowledge and skills
What did Eliot Freidson 1970 theorise about the introduction of medical autonomy, and what is meant by medical autonomy?
Medical autonomy: Autonomy to decide who can do its work, how that work can be done
Medicine profession achieved medical autonomy by convincing socially powerful groups that the profession’s values were of service
Define medical dominance, and give examples of who else this involves apart from doctors?
Medical profession’s authority to determine what is counted as a sickness
eg. dominance over patients, other healthcare professionals like nurses
What are the 5 main reasons for the decline of medical dominance, and in which decade did the decline start?
Decline started in 1970s:
- Increase of Managerialism: reliance on professional managers and organisational strategies to run an organisation
- Development of nursing practice
- Patient perspective more important
- Social ideas about expertise change eg. influenced by media technologies
- Medical authority challenged by social movements eg. disability rights movement
