Article
The paradox of patient consent: A feminist perspective of illness and healthcare
Health Communication
(2019)
Abstract
Through autoethnographic analysis, I present my personal illness story as a case study in patient consent. In doing so, I explore the complexities that emerge at the intersection of gender and health, including issues of autonomy and choice. Specifically, I reflect on the ideological and systemic factors that contribute to a paradox of consent versus noncompliance in US healthcare contexts. Within this paradoxical binary, control is both persistent and illusive, which is a condition fueled by individualism, paternalistic antagonism, and medical colonization. As an alternative, I offer two viable options for facilitating patients’ agency in gendered health contexts, even under marginalizing conditions.
Keywords
- adult,
- article,
- case report,
- clinical article,
- female,
- feminism,
- gender,
- human,
- individuality,
- male
Disciplines
Publication Date
2019
DOI
10.1080/10410236.2020.1724645
Publisher Statement
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This is an original manuscript / preprint of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Health Communication on 2/10/2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10410236.2020.1724645.
Citation Information
Kristen Cole. "The paradox of patient consent: A feminist perspective of illness and healthcare" Health Communication (2019) ISSN: 10410236 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kristen-cole/12/