Professional projects and institutional change in healthcare: The case of American dentistry

Martin Kitchener and Elizabeth Mertz

Social Science & Medicine, 2012, vol. 74, issue 3, 372-380

Abstract: This paper combines resources from the organization studies and sociology literatures to advance understanding of institutional change processes in healthcare that emerge from the professionalization projects of occupations. Conceptually, we introduce a model that combines the ‘archetype’ approach to analyzing structural change with a framework for analyzing the agency of emergent professions. We then employ the model to frame a historical case analysis (1972–2009) of the highly contested process by which the occupation of dental hygiene in the US fought to introduce a new organizational form, the alternative practice hygiene (APH) archetype. This archetype challenges the traditional model (the dentist’s office archetype) that is supported by the dominant dentistry profession. Our analysis contributes two main sets of empirical findings. First, we present a systematic comparison of the APH and Dentist’s Office archetypes in terms of their belief systems, formal structures, agents, and policy implications (e.g., access to services). Second, we provide an account of the agency of dental hygienists’ attempts to secure the APH model as part of their professionalization project.

Keywords: Organization theory; Medical sociology; Health policy; Institutional theory; Sociology of the professions; USA; Dental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:74:y:2012:i:3:p:372-380

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.10.005

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