“Fact” and “fiction”: enlivening health care education
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 2 September 2013
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate how close analysis of cultural narratives can be employed as effective pedagogical tools in the explication and critique of specific workplace issues relevant to health management education.
Design/methodology/approach
Two narratives have been selected to illustrate this point: the apparently “fictional” UK-based medical television drama series Bodies (2005-2006) and the apparently “factual” report of an Australian state government public inquiry into acute health care, the Garling Report.
Findings
Through their demonstration of how analyses of selected segments of these texts can be used in health management education, the authors conclude that the comparative analyses of ostensibly “fictional” and “factual” narratives allow for analysis and critique of the inadequacies of new public management (NPM) applied to the health care industry, leading to a greater understanding of wider ideological effects on public perceptions.
Practical implications
The authors argue that these understandings enliven students' learning experiences, and that such comparative analyses should be applied more widely across health management education to develop students' critical skills and openness to exploring alternative models.
Originality/value
Comparative analysis of cultural texts is novel in health care education, and allows for the interrogation of ideology and its effects.
Keywords
Citation
Sheridan, A. and O'Sullivan, J. (2013), "“Fact” and “fiction”: enlivening health care education", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 561-576. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-01-2012-0002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited