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Social constructionism and its relevance to health policy
Peter Backhouse
Abstract
This paper tracks the development of the social constructionist approach to
medical knowledge, and explores some of its implications for health policy and
medical sociology research. It suggests that the impetus for this approach came
in part from Eliot Freidson's recognition in the 1970s of the social character of
medical knowledge in both its production and its application, and the
difficulties this presented for the conventional conceptual schema in which he
framed the rest of his work. It is suggested that any policy moves to impinge on
medical decision-making in the name of greater efficiency would be preempted
by the strong interest shared by the medical profession and the economic
rationalists in shielding from public exposure the political values hidden
within their respective knowledge bases.
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