For doctors' eyes only: Medical records in two Israeli hospitals

Meira Weiss*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

"Scientific" and "craft" representations of medical diagnosis can be regarded as complementary discursive systems used by physicians in order to legitimate and monopolize their professional power. This paper examines the medical record as a context for the interplay of these two discourses. During interviews conducted with 78 Israeli physicians, 94% have refused to give patients access to their medical records. This refusal is discussed vis-à-vis a reading of the actual contents of medical records, which are shown to contain many errors, inconsistencies and ambiguities. The paper concludes by offering an alternative, anthropological model for medical records as fieldnotes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)283-302
Number of pages20
JournalCulture, Medicine and Psychiatry
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1997

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