title: Questioning: a critical skill in postmodern health-care service delivery.
abstract: Occupational therapists can no longer rely exclusively on biomedical frameworks to guide their practice and facilitate clinical problem-solving. A postmodernist perspective of health and well-being underlines that the illness experience is not a linear, cause-and-effect equation. Rather, life experiences are constructed through a myriad of social, cultural, physical and economic contexts that are highly unique to each individual. In other words, the assumption that 'one-size-fits-all' is as flawed in health care as it is in clothing design. This paper contributes to the growing discussion of health care within the postmodern context of the twenty-first century through first presenting a brief discussion of emerging postmodern thinking and application within the profession, followed by a rationale for the need to scrutinise prevalent modernist assumptions that guide decision-making. Finally, the paper introduces the method of Socratic questioning as a critical tool in successfully carrying out this scrutiny in an empowering and respectful manner for all stakeholders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. cary.brown@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Cary A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bannigan
authors.forename: Joanna R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gill
mesh_terms: D003933:Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D011340:Problem Solving; D011361:Professional Competence; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations