| Polanyi's tacit knowing and the relevance of epistemology to clinical medicine. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20367850 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Most clinicians take for granted a simple, reductionist understanding of medical knowledge that is at odds with how they actually practice medicine; routine medical decisions incorporate more complicated kinds of information than most standard accounts of medical reasoning suggest. A better understanding of the structure and function of knowledge in medicine can lead to practical improvements in clinical medicine. This understanding requires some familiarity with epistemology, the study of knowledge and its structure, in medicine. Michael Polanyi's theory of tacit knowing is advanced as the basis for developing a more accurate understanding of medical knowledge. Tacit knowing, which explores the taken-for-granted background knowledge that underlies all human knowing, is explained in detail with a focus on its relevance for clinical medicine. The implications of recognizing tacit knowing in medicine and medical decisions are discussed. These include the ability to explain the importance of the clinical encounter in medical practice, mechanisms for analysing patient and doctor as persons, and the need for humility given the uncertainty that the tacit dimension injects into all medical decisions. This more robust medical epistemology allows clinicians to better articulate the nature and importance of patient-centred care, to avoid pitfalls inherent in reductionist approaches to medical knowledge, and to think more clearly about the relationships between medicine and health care at the individual and population levels. |
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Authors:
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Stephen G Henry |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of evaluation in clinical practice Volume: 16 ISSN: 1365-2753 ISO Abbreviation: J Eval Clin Pract Publication Date: 2010 Apr |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-04-06 Completed Date: 2010-07-29 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 9609066 Medline TA: J Eval Clin Pract Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 292-7 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor Healthcare System, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5604, USA. henrstep@med.umich.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Clinical Competence Clinical Medicine* Evidence-Based Medicine Humans Knowledge* Philosophy, Medical* |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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J Eval Clin Pract. 2010 Apr;16(2):298-300
[PMID:
20367851
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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