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Questioning: A critical skill in postmodern health‐care service delivery
Author(s) -
Brown Cary A.,
Bannigan Katrina,
Gill Joanna R.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian occupational therapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1630
pISSN - 0045-0766
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1630.2008.00756.x
Subject(s) - postmodernism , scrutiny , socratic method , context (archaeology) , perspective (graphical) , health care , sociology , psychology , engineering ethics , epistemology , nursing , medicine , political science , computer science , law , engineering , paleontology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , biology
Occupational therapists can no longer rely exclusively on biomedical frameworks to guide their practice and facilitate clinical problem‐solving. A postmodernist perspective of health and well‐being underlines that the illness experience is not a linear, cause‐and‐effect equation. Rather, life experiences are constructed through a myriad of social, cultural, physical and economic contexts that are highly unique to each individual. In other words, the assumption that ‘one‐size‐fits‐all’ is as flawed in health care as it is in clothing design.This paper contributes to the growing discussion of health care within the postmodern context of the twenty‐first century through first presenting a brief discussion of emerging postmodern thinking and application within the profession, followed by a rationale for the need to scrutinise prevalent modernist assumptions that guide decision‐making. Finally, the paper introduces the method of Socratic questioning as a critical tool in successfully carrying out this scrutiny in an empowering and respectful manner for all stakeholders.