For society, state and self: juggling the logics of professionalism in general practice appraisal.
Sociologists repeatedly appeal to notions of altruism, bureaucratisation and self interest in their efforts to explain the changing place of the professions in contemporary society. We treat these three readings as institutional logics that are key to understanding the way in which doctors respond to the appraisal system at the heart of the UK's approach to revalidation. Our analysis of a survey of 998 general practitioners (GPs) working in Wales finds an altruistic commitment to learning and improvement, bureaucratic demands for reporting information and self-regarding resentment of changes in the occupational package provided by general practice. But the data also demonstrate that the maintenance of the appraisal regime is dependent on the preparedness and capacity of individual GPs to do micro-level institutional work on all fronts.
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Tom
T
Entwistle
Formerly of the Wales Deanery, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Elaine
E
Matthews
D000533:Altruism; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D000068616:Professionalism / Q000592:standards*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014852:Wales
general practice; policy analysis; professions and professionalisation; social constructionism