[Interpreting messages from across knowledge boundaries in health care encounters]

Anthropological research into health issues may contribute to the discussion regarding doctor/patient communication and to understanding across knowledge boundaries. Anthropological studies in "other cultures" provide a mirror, and the question "Why are we doing what we are doing?" becomes relevant. Examples from research among immigrants in Swedish health care bring this question into focus. The relationship between scientific knowledge and lay knowledge is seen as problematical with regard not only to immigrants but also to any patient involved in today's preventive care, steeped as it is in rapid medical technological development. Scientific knowledge is recontextualized, interpreted and understood in all clinical situations. Research into this process is an urgent matter.