Iatrogenesis Flashcards
What is iatrogenesis?
Illness caused by medicine and medical practices.
What are some examples of iatrogenesis?
Side effects or drug interactions Complications of surgery Medical error Negligence Nosocomial infections in hospitals
Are iatrogenic effects always harmful?
No, for example a scar after surgery is said to be iatrogenic, although it does not cause harm.
What is iatrogenic poverty?
When a patient is severely affected financially by expensive and sometimes unnecessary treatments.
Who came up with the idea of iatrogenesis (illness caused by medicine)?
Ivan Illich, 1976
What is clinical iatrogenesis?
When medical treatment causes bodily damage
What is social iatrogenesis?
The loss of coping and self-care as a result of medicalisation of everyday life
What is cultural iatrogenesis?
The loss of means to cope with pain and suffering due to unrealistic expectations generated by medicine
When medical treatment causes damage, how severe are the side-effects?
They range from minor to severe.
Give 2 examples of clinical iatrogenesis
Side-effects of medication such as nausea
Long-term use of HRT resulting in heart disease, stroke, or cancer.
Give 2 examples of social iatrogenesis?
Normal and natural processes such as ageing are pathologised.
Social issues such as alcoholism and gambling are defined as medical problems.
What are the 3 types of iatrogenesis?
Clinical
Social
Cultural
