title: Specialty group differences over tonsillectomy: pediatricians versus otolaryngologists.
abstract: How physicians in different specialties explain their positions on tonsillectomy is explored using data based on in-depth interviews with 53 physicians. Justifications for and against particular indications, assessments of efficacy, and explanations of tonsillar function and pathology are presented. Clear specialty-specific differences exist, especially between pediatricians and otolaryngologists. Opposing specialty views rest upon radically different versions of cost/benefit assessment, whereas evaluations of efficacy are based primarily on conceptual reasoning and anecdotal accounts. Physicians' opinion of clinical trial results are specialty-dependent and are used to sustain specialty viewpoints. The implications of such specialty group differences for public policy are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005194:Family Practice; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008511:Medicine; D008875:Middle Aged; D010036:Otolaryngology; D010372:Pediatrics; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D013038:Specialization; D014068:Tonsillectomy