QUALITATIVE NETWORK ANALYSIS OF THE ITALIAN PALLIATIVE SYSTEM

World Congress on Health and Medical Sociology

September 19-20, 2016 Las Vegas, USA

Roberto Lusardi and Stefano Tomelleri

University of Bergamo, Italy

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Health Edu Res Dev

Abstract :

This poster is based on an action-research experience and describes how palliative care can be influenced by the social and cultural process; those processes that are configured in specific mindscapes, embodied in the clinicians� and caregivers� everyday practices. The use of the qualitative network analysis as a research methodology has allowed us to transform the mindscapes into symbolic maps, representing a regional Italian palliative care system. The three maps we will present have been created by 26 participants (25 socio-health workers and a volunteer), during an action-research course organized from autumn to winter 2014. Opening with the map analysis, we are able to observe the formal and informal interactions� implicit knowledge, the power relations and how the individual aims are materialized between the participants. Furthermore, the map analysis helped reveal how the knowledge interchange among the participants develop a common view on the palliative care network. The data consist of 3 instructional maps produced by 26 health and social care professionals. The comparative analysis of the map highlights significant about palliative care networks: a) the power distribution is concentrated around specific networks� hubs; b) the patient-centeredness does not necessarily mean patient empowerment; c) the prevalence of the health system and the persisting of medicalization on social world; d) the loss of the religious prominence of pain and death; e) the �glue� function acted by the psychologist.

Biography :

Roberto Lusardi PhD in Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento (Italy), is research fellow at the University of Bergamo (Italy). His research interests include qualitative methods, particularly ethnographic studies and action research, medical practice, palliative care, interprofessional collaboration and organizational sense making.

Email: roberto.lusardi@unibg.it