The discursive construction of person-centredness in online information leaflets addressed to patients with cancer

Abstract

Background: This article is part of a project that examines the discursive constructions of the concepts, ‘patient’ and ‘patient identity’ in documents regarding national laws and steering documents, as well as regional steering documents, and how these constructions appear in online patient information leaflets. Aim: The focus of the article is whether person-centredness as an approach to the patient is prevalent in the discourses found in regional online materials for cancer patients in Denmark. Methods: The study uses a mixed method approach analysing the data within a critical discourse analytical framework, combined with quantitative analyses conducted using the corpus analysis software program, AntConc. Results: The present study reveals that the patient’s scope of action is most often limited in patient information leaflets. Patients are positioned as objects for the actions of the healthcare staff even though different constructions of person-centredness are present. Discussion: A person-centred culture must also be present in the way the professional staff and management communicate and cooperate. Conclusions: As a layperson and object, the patient is given an identity as a medical case, not as an involved and actively participating person. There are only minor signs of a person-centred approach.