The social in medicine: social techniques in patient education

The article investigates the role of the social in medicine through an empirical study of social technologies in Diabetes 2 and COPD patient education in Denmark. It demonstrates how the social at the same time is the cause of disease but also functions as a solution to the problem. Furthermore it suggests that the patient groups have an ambiguous role in medicine; they appear to be organized as communities of empowerment, critical of the individualizing effects of medicine, but at the same time these groups are embedded in medical practices, transferring responsibility for illness and health to the level of the citizens. The article provides an empirical analysis of how the social in patient education works. The empirical analysis challenges an existing understanding that patient groups automatically support healthy lifestyle changes. We point out the multiple ways in which the social works.