Show Notes
Welcome to another episode of The Words Matter Podcast.
So we are up to Chapter 4 of the
CauseHealth Series, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the previous episodes.
In this episode I talk again with two of the editors of the CauseHealth book (download
here),
Dr Rani Lill Anjum and
Dr Elena Rocca about Chapter 4 which they co-wrote titled
‘When a Cause Cannot be Found’ (read Chapter 4
here).
In this episode we talk about:
- Medically unexplained symptoms (or MUS) and how such health conditions, which defy a clear biomedical explanation, offered a practical and clinical challenge for CauseHealth to take on (see paper here by Rani, Roger Kerry and others).
- We talk about how the mere accumulation of more biomedical knowledge and scientific discoveries won’t necessarily lead to a satisfactory explanation of MUS in individual patients, and how and why a dispositionalist view of causation offers a deeper and person-focused understanding to the complexity associated with MUS.
- We discuss the Problem of Uniqueness –and outline the challenge this poses both practically (i.e. clinically and methodologically), and also the broader and more fundamental philosophical challenge of medically unexplained symptoms.
- We talk about how methodological and evidential pluralism and inclusivism can help provide this deeper contextual understanding, which is not captured by RCTs and other quantitative methods alone.
- Finally, we talk about how other forms of evidence such as patient narratives, case studies and qualitative research, which don’t traditionally get involved with causation, that when taking a dispositionalist view, do in fact have lots to say and contribute to in regards to causation in healthcare
This episode really made me reflect on the role and contribution of qualitative research towards causal explanations in healthcare whether it be recovery or the onset of pain and illness.
The dispositionalist view opens up space for qualitative methodologies and methods to sit at the table of causation and offers researchers from these disciplines a theoretical framework to allow rich, detailed and sometimes abstract qualitative evidence, constructed from multiple individual perspectives and experiences to add to a causative understanding of individual patients.
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What is The Words Matter Podcast with Oliver Thomson?
The Words Matter Podcast brings you insights, reflections and conversations focused on the latest evidence, theory, philosophy and practice of communication-focused healthcare.
Find out about the more tacit, 'softer' and personal side of clinical practice such as the role of philosophy, beliefs, behaviours, developing therapeutic relationships or the purposeful use of language with people experiencing pain from expert academics, clinicians and researchers from across the world and spanning the musculoskeletal disciplines. This podcast will help you reflect on your own current practice and inform and stimulate you to consider new ways of approaching your practice and patients, to create a better clinical experience and outcomes in people with musculoskeletal pain.
Hosted by Dr Oliver Thomson PhD, an osteopath and Associate Professor who is passionate about researching and educating clinicians on a revised narrative, communication and biopsychosocial approach to musculoskeletal therapy. If you like the podcast, subscribe and check out the online learning and resources at www.wordsmatter-education.com.
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