SOC 7108 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Patient Participation, Physical Therapy, Sick Role

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 7108
• Professor: Loes Knaapen

Document Summary

Patient participation in their own care is perceived as work is the theme of this article with the secondary theme of patients work and how it relates to technology following chronic illness. The care in hospitals today increasingly involves tasks that are related to various kinds of machinery creating a class of worker that is not easily recognized. In other words, patients do not have any occupational title and what they do tends to not be taken note of, generally invisible to the staff as it is not seen or defined as work. Being able to recognize patient work as part of the total division and organization of labor can result in a decrease of conflict and tension among the staff and create a more effective health system. The sociological issue: whenever the patient is being worked on then they become a part of the division of labor whether their efforts are recognized or not as work .