title: Writing the patient down and out: the construal of the patient in medical certificates of disability.
abstract: We analysed a set of medical certificates to investigate how GPs portray patients who seek disability benefits in Norway, focusing on patient centredness, agency and involvement. We performed a qualitative linguistic analysis of 33 medical certificates collected throughout Norway that were strategically selected based on the patients' sex, age and diagnosis. We found that patients were represented as passive carriers of symptoms, in whom agency was low, failed, conditional or non-existing, or as passive objects of the actions of impersonalised others. Conversely, symptoms were foregrounded as independent and powerful actors. The patient's experience of illness was sometimes reported, but the perspective of the GP tended to be doctor oriented, rather than patient centred. The policy of the social services, which emphasises patient involvement, patient centredness and work, rather than social benefits, was almost completely absent from these medical certificates. If medical certificates are to be a valid basis for decisions within the social services, we suggest that doctor paternalism in these documents must give way to considering the patient as an involved and co-responsible individual in the processes of disability assessment.
authors: Department of General Practice, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. guri.aarseth@medisin.uio.no.
authors: Guri
authors: G
authors: Aarseth
authors: Department of Health Sciences, Institute of health and society, Faculty of medicine University of Oslo, Norway.
authors: Bård
authors: B
authors: Natvig
authors: Department of Health Sciences, Institute of health and society, Faculty of medicine University of Oslo, Norway.
authors: Eivind
authors: E
authors: Engebretsen
authors: Department of languages, University College of Southeast Norway, Norway.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Maagerø
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors: Anne Helene Kveim
authors: AH
authors: Lie
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D010415:Pensions; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D014956:Writing
keywords: Norway; disability benefit; general practitioner; linguistics; medical certificate; patient involvement