Description
Medical policies, practices, and definitions do not exist solely in the clinical realm; they show up in the lived experiences of patients. This research examines how people with the chronic illness called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) define their own illness experiences. They have situated knowledge about their illness onset, search for care, and clinical encounters. Their knowledge complicates and challenges the existing norms in clinical practice and medical discourse, as the experience of searching for care with ME reveals weaknesses in a system that is focused on acute care. Patient narratives reveal institutional patterns that obstruct access to medical care, such as disbelief from clinicians and lack of training in chronic illness protocols. They also reveal patterns in physician behavior that indicate the likelihood of receiving effective care. These patient narratives serve as a basis for continued examination of ME as well as further reconstruction of medical practice and procedure.
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Details
Title
- Patient narratives of myalgic encephalomyelitis: situated knowledge for re/constructing healthcare
Contributors
- Cutler, Carmen (Author)
- Oliverio, Annamaria (Thesis advisor)
- Mann, Annika (Thesis advisor)
- Behl, Natasha (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2019
Subjects
Resource Type
Collections this item is in
Note
- thesisPartial requirement for: M.A., Arizona State University, 2019
- bibliographyIncludes bibliographical references (comprehensive references pages 152-159)
- Field of study: Social Justice and Human Rights
Citation and reuse
Statement of Responsibility
by Carmen Cutler