Anthropology of hospitals: a General Overview

Abstract

This anthology of hospital ethnography essays is structured around two main principles, which are introduced in the introduction. To start, it needs to be said that there is no universally accepted standard for biomedical design in hospitals. The transmission of this information is paramount. The ideal layout of a hospital has varied conceptions in every culture and civilization. When coupled with the availability of ever-more-advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies, the many medical schools of thought can provide a vast spectrum of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. The second premise states that hospitals and biomedicine can only thrive if they reflect the fundamental ideas and values of the society in which they are rooted. A society's hospitals both mirror and reinforce its prevailing social and cultural standards. In a sense, hospitals are both exemplars of and keeper of these values. Along with providing concise overviews of the contributions pertaining to hospitals, the writers delve into the methodological and ethical difficulties that develop while doing fieldwork in an institutional setting, such as a hospital. Among the nations included are the following: South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Lebanon, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, and Egypt. Bangladesh is also on the list. Upon its first publication in 2004, Elsevier Ltd. acquired the rights to the work. Since 2011, copyright laws have served to prevent the content's infringement.

Keywords: Hospital; Fieldwork; Ethnography; Globalization; Localization