title: Disclosing discourses: biomedical and hospitality discourses in patient education materials.
abstract: Patient education materials have the potential to strengthen the health literacy of patients. Previous studies indicate that readability and suitability may be improved. The aim of this study was to explore and analyze discourses inherent in patient education materials since analysis of discourses could illuminate values and norms inherent in them. Clinics in Sweden that provided colorectal cancer surgery allowed access to written information and 'welcome letters' sent to patients. The material was analysed by means of discourse analysis, embedded in Derrida's approach of deconstruction. The analysis revealed a biomedical discourse and a hospitality discourse. In the biomedical discourse, the subject position of the personnel was interpreted as the messenger of medical information while that of the patients as the carrier of diagnoses and recipients of biomedical information. In the hospitality discourse, the subject position of the personnel was interpreted as hosts who invite and welcome the patients as guests. The study highlights the need to eliminate paternalism and fosters a critical reflective stance among professionals regarding power and paternalism inherent in health care communication.
authors.affiliation: Buskerud and Vestfold University College, Drammen, Norway.|University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Öresland
authors.affiliation: University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.|University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Febe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Friberg
authors.affiliation: University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Centre for Equity in Health Care/Institute of Ersta Sköndal University College and Ersta Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Määttä
authors.affiliation: University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.|The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Joakim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Öhlen
mesh_terms: D001296:Audiovisual Aids; D003142:Communication; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013548:Sweden
keywords: deconstruction; discourse; health literacy; patient education materials; qualitative study