Abstract

 Using data collected from surgeons working in a transplantation unit in Portugal this article aims to identify how medical knowledge is constructed within the context of surgery. The key theoretical guidelines are drawn from the sociology of professions and medical sociology, particularly social constructivist studies. A qualitative methodological approach was adopted, in which we opted for a partici-pant observation and on-site interviews. Three hypotheses are addressed: 1) the recent shift towards Evidence-Based-Medicine (EBM) influences the primacy of clinical experience in the construction of medical knowledge; 2) medical experience does not strongly links with EBM principles; 3) personal experience is central in the construction of medical knowledge and discourse. This article provides a new window into the study of medical profession, a step forward in the research field. Conclusions show new understanding about EBM practice, insofar as it ties the production of medical knowledge to professional dynamics and autonomy.
Highlights
Using data collected from surgeons working in a transplantation unit in Portugal this article aims to identify how medical knowledge is constructed within the context of surgery
The issue addressed emerges as a challenge to the modern idea of scientific rationality, insofar as it ties the production of knowledge to power and discourse. This argument has led the authors to strive to identify how diverse types of knowledge are produced and developed within the context of medical healthcare and professional practices. This has led us to consider some of the contemporary contributions made in the field of medical sociology, social constructivism and what is commonly termed as the Foucauldian approach, which highlighted the relationship between medical power, knowledge and discourse
This article seeks to provide a window into the understanding of medical profession, considering other contributes rather than only those traditional considered from sociology of professions body of literature
Summary
Using data collected from surgeons working in a transplantation unit in Portugal this article aims to identify how medical knowledge is constructed within the context of surgery. This argument has led the authors to strive to identify how diverse types of knowledge are produced and developed within the context of medical healthcare and professional practices This has led us to consider some of the contemporary contributions made in the field of medical sociology, social constructivism and what is commonly termed as the Foucauldian approach, which highlighted the relationship between medical power, knowledge and discourse. In this way, this article seeks to provide a window into the understanding of medical profession, considering other contributes rather than only those traditional considered from sociology of professions body of literature. Such is the case of liver transplant surgery, one of the most technically well-developed areas of medicine
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