The demise of dialogue: A critique of medical encounter ideology

Abstract

The traditional ideology of medical care places constraints upon communication in the medical encounter. A dialogic critique of understanding and social context in the provider‐patient relationship embraces both the given and created meanings communicated. Drawing from dialogical theory and a critical theory of medical discourse this research analyzes providers' and patients' interpretations of communication in their relationship with one another to identify their critical attention or inattention to understanding and social context.