Discovering clinical phronesis.
Med Health Care Philos
; 27(2): 165-179, 2024 Jun.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38453732
ABSTRACT
Phronesis is often described as a 'practical wisdom' adapted to the matters of everyday human life. Phronesis enables one to judge what is at stake in a situation and what means are required to bring about a good outcome. In medicine, phronesis tends to be called upon to deal with ethical issues and to offer a critique of clinical practice as a straightforward instrumental application of scientific knowledge. There is, however, a paucity of empirical studies of phronesis, including in medicine. Using a hermeneutic and phenomenological approach, this inquiry explores how phronesis is manifest in the stories of clinical practice of eleven exemplary physicians. The findings highlight five overarching themes ethos (or character) of the physician, clinical habitus revealed in physician know-how, encountering the patient with attentiveness, modes of reasoning amidst complexity, and embodied perceptions (such as intuitions or gut feeling). The findings open a discussion about the contingent nature of clinical situations, a hermeneutic mode of clinical thinking, tacit dimensions of being and doing in clinical practice, the centrality of caring relations with patients, and the elusive quality of some aspects of practice. This study deepens understandings of the nature of phronesis within clinical settings and proposes 'Clinical phronesis' as a descriptor for its appearance and role in the daily practice of (exemplary) physicians.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Filosofía Médica
/
Relaciones Médico-Paciente
/
Hermenéutica
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Health Care Philos
/
Med. health care philos
/
Medicine, health care and philosophy
Asunto de la revista:
ETICA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá