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Bonding and cracking: the role of informal, interpersonal networks in health care decision making

R W Tardy1, C L Hale

  • 1Department of Communication, University of Louisville, KY 40292, USA. rwtard01@homer.louisville.edu

Health Communication
|December 24, 2005
PubMed

This study examined the role and impact of informal, interpersonal networks in health care decision making. Questioning the traditional approach to studying health communication as it is situated within institutions (e.g., Burgoon, 1992; Nussbaum, 1989; Pettegrew & Logan, 1987), this ethnographic study ventured into the lived experiences of women in a mothers' and toddlers' playgroup as they discussed their own, their family members', and their friends' health experiences. Their conversations revolved around such health-related issues as pregnancy and delivery, physicians and hospitals, breastfeeding, illnesses and accidents, and diet and nutrition. The conversations were found to serve not necessarily opposing but distinctive functions including a rather practical purpose of "cracking the code" of institutional practices, as well as a "bonding" function evidenced through stories or narratives. The conversations are not only exchanges of information but also narratives through which shared experiences are created and maintained. In addition to these narrative functions, examination of these conversations reveals how diagnoses and remedies from the institutions are discussed and decisions are made. The conclusion offers ideas for how agencies and institutions can utilize the findings of this particular research venture.

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