Sarah Elizabeth Field-Richards
A technical solution to a professional problem: The risk management functions of prognosticators in the context of prognostication post-cardiac arrest
Field-Richards, Sarah Elizabeth; Timmons, Stephen
Abstract
Cardiac arrest (CA) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Two-thirds of deaths among patients admitted to intensive care units following out-of-hospital CA are due to neurological injury, with most as a consequence of withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, following prognostication of unfavorable neurological outcome. Given the ramifications of prognosis for patient outcome, post-cardiac arrest (P-CA) guidelines stress the importance of minimizing the risk of falsely pessimistic predictions. Although prognosticator use is advocated to this end, 100% accurate prognosticators remain elusive, therefore prognostication P-CA remains pervaded by uncertainty and risk. Bioethical discourse notwithstanding, when located within a wider socio-cultural context, prognostication can be seen to present risk and uncertainty challenges of a professional nature. Such challenges do not, however, subvert the medical profession's moral and ethical prognostication obligation. We interpret prognosticator use as an attempt to manage professional risk presented by prognostication P-CA and demonstrate how through performing “risk work,” prognosticators serve professional functions, mediating tension between the professional duty to prognosticate, and risk presented. We draw on sociological analyses of risk and uncertainty, and the professions to explicate these (hitherto less enunciated) professional risk management functions of prognosticators. Accordingly, the use of prognosticators is conceived of as a professional response – a technical/scientific solution to the problem of professional risk, inherent within the P-CA prognostication process.
Citation
Field-Richards, S. E., & Timmons, S. (2022). A technical solution to a professional problem: The risk management functions of prognosticators in the context of prognostication post-cardiac arrest. Frontiers in Sociology, 7, Article 804573. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2022.804573
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Jul 4, 2022 |
Online Publication Date | Aug 19, 2022 |
Publication Date | Aug 19, 2022 |
Deposit Date | Aug 22, 2022 |
Publicly Available Date | Mar 29, 2024 |
Journal | Frontiers in Sociology |
Electronic ISSN | 2297-7775 |
Publisher | Frontiers Media SA |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 7 |
Article Number | 804573 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2022.804573 |
Keywords | General Social Sciences |
Public URL | https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/10359288 |
Publisher URL | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2022.804573/full |
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Publisher Licence URL
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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