Making the Case in Neurosurgery Conferences: How Surgeons Create "Do-Able" Problems and Retain Authority

• In Event: 030 - Regular Session. Health Care and Care Delivery

Abstract

In this paper I describe how a group of neurologists, neurosurgeons, technicians, physical therapists, and other professionals evaluate candidates for neurosurgery. I analyze this decision making process based on 30 months of fieldwork in a major medical center. I highlight the role of the "back pocket clinical gestalt" in the most difficult cases. The back pocket gestalt serves as a kind of experiential trump card, reinforcing surgeons' power in a formally consensus-driven setting.

Author

• Daniel Ray Morrison, Pepperdine University