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PATHOLOGIST AS GATEKEEPER: DISCRETIONARY DECISION‐MAKING IN CASES OF SUDDEN INFANT DEATH
Author(s) -
Ballenden Nicola R.,
Laster Kathy,
Lawrence Jeanette A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
australian journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1839-4655
pISSN - 0157-6321
DOI - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.1993.tb00921.x
Subject(s) - sudden infant death syndrome , emotive , medicine , cause of death , infant mortality , perception , disease , pediatrics , medical emergency , psychology , pathology , environmental health , population , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience
In many cases of unexpected infant death the cause of death cannot be ascertained. It has become convention to call such cases ‘SIDS’ (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). A simulation study of pathologists' decision‐making found that there were significant differences in the procedure adopted and the diagnosis of cause of death in such cases. It was found that their decision‐making was influenced by factors such as experience, training and most importantly, pathologists' own perception of their professional role. In an emotive area such as infant death the application of the SIDS label is frequently part of the social process of defining disease.