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The Industrialization of Healthcare and Its Critiques

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Handbook of Economics and Sociology of Conventions

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Abstract

Reforms of healthcare systems around the world since the 1980s have essentially led to analyses in terms of commodification. This chapter focuses on the parallel phenomenon of industrialization of healthcare. Industrialization refers to the historical process of moving from an inspired/domestic convention of healthcare labor to an industrial convention. While historically the health professions, in particular but not only physicians, were built on the necessary creativity and proximity of the caregiver to the patient, the industrial convention of care labor values the respect of impersonal standards to improve the global performance of the healthcare system. After defining the phenomenon, this chapter proposes an overview of the industrialization of healthcare and the criticisms it encounters. Indeed, under the influence of the industrial convention, health care professionals tend to treat diseases more than patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Sorbonne Paris Nord, CEPN UMR 7234, Villetaneuse, France

    Nicolas Da Silva

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  1. Nicolas Da Silva
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Correspondence to Nicolas Da Silva .

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  1. University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Rainer Diaz-Bone

  2. University of Lille, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

    Guillemette de Larquier

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Da Silva, N. (2023). The Industrialization of Healthcare and Its Critiques. In: Diaz-Bone, R., Larquier, G.d. (eds) Handbook of Economics and Sociology of Conventions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52130-1_45-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52130-1_45-2

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    The Industrialization of Healthcare and Its Critiques
    Published:
    06 January 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52130-1_45-2

  2. Original

    The Industrialization of Healthcare and Its Critiques
    Published:
    20 September 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52130-1_45-1

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