RESUMO
This article reviews our experience and observations from conducting six Community Bioethics Dialogues (CBD) with elderly residents in diverse communities in Galveston, Texas, from 2014 through 2016. CBD is a mixed method that combines focus groups, instruction, ethnography, and community-based research. CBD brings together select community members for 3 hours once a week for 6 weeks to identify values. We employed CBD to investigate how participants think about and react to issues surrounding Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR), Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER), and mental health. We offer a methodological approach for conducting and optimizing meaningful dialogues with community groups.
Assuntos
Bioética , Pesquisa Participativa Baseada na Comunidade/métodos , Pesquisa Participativa Baseada na Comunidade/organização & administração , Grupos Focais , Desenvolvimento de Programas/métodos , Idoso , Envelhecimento , Pesquisa Comparativa da Efetividade , Comportamento Cooperativo , Empoderamento , Humanos , Saúde Mental , Avaliação de Resultados da Assistência ao Paciente , TexasRESUMO
In this essay, we argue that touch constitutes a sacred connection between the patient and practitioner. When touch is avoided or overlooked, the enigmatic inner workings of the body are ignored as those aspects of the body that can be quantified and ultimately controlled are emphasized. In utilizing touch as a fundamental way of opening up space for the sacred, the practitioner affirms the humanity for both the patient and herself. Only by returning to the senses can practitioners resist the dehumanizing effects of machinery and re-enchant the health-care profession in caring for persons they have sworn to serve.
