Journal Articles by Graham Scambler
Social science & medicine, Jan 1, 2009
The considerable emphasis in the development and implementation of clinical information systems i... more The considerable emphasis in the development and implementation of clinical information systems in hospitals internationally seems to have had a limited effect. In particular, the implementation of elec- tronic patient record (EPR) systems has been slower and more difficult than anticipated and with little change in efficiency and security. This paper suggests why this might be the case. Well established research findings within the field of computer supported cooperative work (CSCW – an interdisciplinary research field between informatics and the social sciences) are cited to construct a case for greater awareness of (1) inter- and intra-professional interests, and (2) broader social and health policy contexts. We draw on Gouldner’s work [(1957). Cosmopolitans and locals: toward an analysis of latent social roles – I. Administrative Science Quarterly, 2(3), 281–306; (1958). Cosmopolitans and locals: toward an analysis of latent social roles – II. Administrative Science Quarterly, 2 (4), 444–480] on organisational roles to develop a discussion of professional awareness; a pivotal notion is also the interactionist one of the hospital as a ‘negotiated order’. Drawing for illustrative purposes on the Norwegian experience (that is, reviewing research on hospital information systems in Norway), we contend that enhanced awareness of the hospital itself as a social system may be a precondition of cost-effective hospital information and communication technologies.
Papers by Graham Scambler
A Sociology of Shame and Blame, 2019
This chapter builds on the earlier introduction to critical realism to note the importance of cau... more This chapter builds on the earlier introduction to critical realism to note the importance of causal 'tendencies' and interdisciplinarity in the study of open societies. The chapter also extends the conceptualisations of stigma and deviance of earlier discussions. It moves on to discern a 'weaponising of stigma' in the form of 'abjection'. This weaponising, it is argued, represents an unambiguous political strategy in financial capitalism and is routinely deployed against vulnerable segments of the population.
A Sociology of Shame and Blame
This chapter considers stigma and deviance as forms of vulnerability and goes on to comment on an... more This chapter considers stigma and deviance as forms of vulnerability and goes on to comment on and extend existing sociological descriptions and explanations of stigma. The salience of money and power is emphasised and the chapter discusses how these system steering media combine in financial capitalism to convert shame into blame in line with political agendas. Attention is also paid to ways of resisting this weaponising of stigma. As is the case throughout the book, much use is made of the four groups selected as foci, namely migrants and refugees, the long-term sick and disabled, the homeless and sex workers.
of partners or employers or via those casual interactions that somehow or other make for a conten... more of partners or employers or via those casual interactions that somehow or other make for a contented life. Children have none of these reservation of course, but they can and frequently are ‘coached’ towards felt stigma (‘don’t use the word ‘epilepsy’ at school’, ‘your granny doesn’t like the word’, ‘no need to tell your boss’, ‘why invite trouble?’) (Schneider & Conrad, (1993)). This defensive orientation discourages openness. The word ‘epilepsy’, even the fact of turns, blackouts, seizures, remain personal or family secrets. One product of this secrecy is a low rate of enacted stigma: how can people discriminate if they are not ‘in the know’? So this is the route to felt stigma’s toxicity. Moreover Jacoby (2002) has shown that felt stigma – and the hidden distress model – retain their salience even when people with epilepsy are in remission or have a low rate of seizure frequency. Labeling, and self-labeling, can disrupt people’s lives more than the symptoms that get the whole pro...
Social Science & Medicine, 2015
The misuse of antibiotics has become a major public health problem given the global threat of mul... more The misuse of antibiotics has become a major public health problem given the global threat of multi-resistant organisms and an anticipated 'antimicrobial perfect storm' within the next few decades. Despite recent attempts by health service providers to optimise antibiotic usage, widespread inappropriate use of antibiotics continues in hospitals internationally. In this study, drawing on qualitative interviews with Australian pharmacists, we explore how they engage in antibiotic decisions in the hospital environment. We develop a sociological understanding of pharmacy as situated within evolving interprofessional power relations, inflected by an emerging milieu whereby antibiotic optimisation is organisationally desired but interprofessionally constrained. We argue that the case of antibiotics articulates important interprofessional asymmetries, positioning pharmacists as delimited negotiators within the context of medical prescribing power. We conclude that jurisdictional uncertainties, and the resultant interprofessional dynamics between pharmacy and medicine, are vital delimiting factors in the emerging role of pharmacists as 'antimicrobial stewards' in the hospital environment. Moreover, we argue that a nuanced understanding of the character of interprofessional negotiations is key to improving the use of antibiotics within and beyond the hospital.
The Palgrave Handbook of Social Theory in Health, Illness and Medicine, 2015
Social Science & Medicine, 2009
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and ... more All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording ...
This brief conceptual note introduces the idea of ‘familiarity bonds’. It is tentatively suggeste... more This brief conceptual note introduces the idea of ‘familiarity bonds’. It is tentatively suggested that the existence of such bonds are likely to be protective of health. After outlining what is meant by familiarity bonds, an argument is advanced that that these may have more causal efficacy than has yet been recognized. A middle-range theory linking familiarity bonds to health and longevity is mooted. This is succeeded by a series of theory-driven conjectures judged to be worthy of consideration and empirical investigation.
A Sociology of Shame and Blame
This chapter gives an expository account of Habermas’ basic distinction between the lifeworld on ... more This chapter gives an expository account of Habermas’ basic distinction between the lifeworld on the one hand and the system on the other. The focus is on how attributions of shame and blame play out in people’s day-to-day lives. What is it like to be ‘othered’, to be rendered unacceptable or rejected by ‘normals’ or ‘normal host communities’? The chapter also uses Bhaskar’s critical realism in relation to agency, culture and structure to emphasise the causal roots of stigma and deviance, of social norms of shame and blame.
Social Theory and Health, 2013
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Journal Articles by Graham Scambler
Papers by Graham Scambler