Telling accounts of wound infections: avoidance, anomaly and ambiguity

Drawing from an interpretive study this article reports on an investigation into the way that patients receive information about having a surgical wound infection. The study findings indicated that patients often struggle to gain this information and health professionals use a range of strategies to avoid rather than engage the patient in discussions about their infection. A sociological analysis of this avoidance draws upon the literature pertaining to issues of power/knowledge, shame and reluctance to engage in potentially distressing interactions. The findings also indicate that considerations of the success of surgery can relate more to the technical aspects of the operation rather than the patient health outcomes. This study demonstrates the clinical relevance of interpretive research and shows how this approach can produce knowledge to inform health service and patient care practices.