Chapter published in:
Relationships in Organized Helping: Analyzing interaction in psychotherapy, medical encounters, coaching and in social media
Edited by Claudio Scarvaglieri, Eva-Maria Graf and Thomas Spranz-Fogasy
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 331] 2022
► pp. 243–264

Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management

A comparative study of German and Bosnian medical encounters

| University of Sarajevo

The goal of the current contribution is to consider and compare different aspects of (dys-)functional knowledge management indexed by a conflict involving epistemics in Bosnian and German language. My research draws on 42 audiotaped conversations of Bosnian and German doctors with their patients. The data was analyzed using Conversation Analysis.

This paper focuses first on the Bosnian data in which patients display an inability to provide the requested information or display reduced access to information they are accountable for (Heritage 2012). Interactional practices of dysfunctional knowledge management lead to misunderstandings, a break in the progressivity of the interaction, or face threatening actions such as criticism and disciplining of the patient (Holly 2001). In contrast, a focus on the German data shows a more patient-centered approach which entails more active patient participation. Furthermore, German patients display higher medical knowledge and more personal responsibility.

Keywords: doctor-patient relationship, conversation analysis, (dis-)affiliation, knowledge management, epistemics, Bosnian, German
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Knowledge of medical history
    • 4.2Self-care related knowledge
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 07 September 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.331.11dza
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