The Influence of the Universal Patient: Performativity in Healthcare
Thursday, September 19, 2024
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM CT
Location: Regency Ballroom B (First Floor)
Abstract: The idea of performativity in the healthcare setting is one to be explored further; more specifically, how doctors of color may perform differently due to the influence of a Eurocentric medical education. This research also explores the idea of a “universal patient”. A focus on the performativity of medicine and healthcare practitioners helps tailor the information to an embodied practice. Current medical school education understands the body through a Eurocentric lens; understanding the body as it is produced performatively creates more culturally contextual medical information. This allows for doctors of color and patients of color to be represented further. The relationship between performativity and inclusivity is necessary, as we perform differently due to societal pressures. I will specify what I mean by performativity in medicine; specifically focusing on code-switching in the healthcare setting. I will provide examples of circumstances where physicians of color and patients of color code-switch and perform differently. I propose recommendations to improve inclusivity in the healthcare profession.
Learning Objectives:
After participating in this conference, attendees should be able to:
Communicate the importance of educating the various ways culture plays a role in proper treatment in healthcare settings.
Apply them in settings of physician-patient interaction, particularly in more culturally and ethnically diverse communities.
Plant the seed of language use in healthcare regarding code-switching and recognition of implicit bias.
