Working knowledge, uncertainty and ontological politics: An ethnography of UK long covid clinics, 2024, Greenhalgh et al

They forget to mention that certain professions try things then observe with a conservative open mind, whilst other have been taught to blag ‘only the positive’ and claim results by forcing patients to eventually say ‘ok maybe I guess that helps (but not much if so)’ then go running off that.

that quote is a perfect example of the bombast.

 

Blinkered or what. And it’s all about them in tone (aren’t we clever)

why couldn’t the OT just say that they had to reduce her hours which at least meant her symptoms weren’t ’as bad’ but was no medical cure at all. Thanks @Kitty fir underlining not being able to work wasn’t them curing anyone, but at least was them using their expertise properly and hopefully not pacing up for the sake of it based on again nonsense beliefs ‘they should have got better by now for no reason’ . The triumphant tone makes it hard to see this is a tragic result not them curing cancer.

How weird they get away with all the snide BS.

These professions seem to have been allowed to step so far beyond their knowledge and skills - none of them should be doing damaging pop-psych it’s so harmful, and where do they get off eye rolling at someone having been tried on a treatment by another physician just cos they used a made-up not properly done test. It’s outrageous school playground level stuff.

physio, rehab and most of the newer psych stuff that is based on psychosomatic and not proper psychology desperately need sorting out.

 

The mother Theresa example is interesting but rather apt in a number of ways to the ‘re-educate and rehab’ sellers.

Including that they don’t seem to realise they are just pushing that and making themselves a nice job out of it that they don’t want to change (unlike those who’ve actually watched and developed based on noticing the real outcomes , so we know it’s possible if you’ve not a blinkered mindset). But also want to still claim it’s all about them helping , just in a cruel way where they won’t hear a word about harm or consent etc. unless it’s them sl***ing off other clinics who aren’t using their programme


I agree it would be very interesting if there was a ‘walk your talk’ policy /clause (in job contract) where all hcps who are staff in these programs are required to sign a form that should they themselves get ill they will only receive the treatment they dish out and are therefore foregoing access to eg turning up at a clinicians door when they can’t stand for long or get debilitylong covid and want to see if anything helps them work agsin etc. it would be interesting to see the drop-off in interest if that was required?

 

The other reason we are sceptical about rehab is that whilst you mention trials are being done fir eg antihistamines that comply with the regs drug- based treatment has, rehab decided that it would go for less and less robust methods even beyond its somehow exempting itself from those regs.

I wonder whether that ‘measure by seeing and making sure you hear what you want to hear’ is what leads to the BS car salesman bigging up of their input and trying to talk down other stuff

it means less in an area where objective results and assessment matters but seems a free fir all and part of keeping one’s job/career/selling your worth in the areas where method is Pooh poohed and if patients get worse and you can’t blag it you can just infer it’s their fault. Or that they are bad witnesses (the most disgusting thing )

 

Agree with every word you’ve said . Be good to see how much was spent on those staff and clinics too. Maybe some didn’t have such attitude issues. But this has demonstrated when me/cfs patients note there is an issue then it’s the staff being in denial when they look in the mirror not, as they’d like to kid themselves, any misunderstanding or misplaced ‘worry’ from patients.

Ie all have to be tarred with this because if this level proudly publishes ‘this’ then it shows what the lack of oversight and problem belief-based training leads to and it needs to be stopped. So any good ones need to blame this lot for them needing to be changed and monitored (not patients as they often do - look at this from their colleagues, are they proud to be associated with it?)

anyway such staff are sucking just how much money out of the system? which could be at least going towards pragmatic and not facetious care from others.

I’ve been saying for a long time there is an issue with a mismatch between the personal qualities skills and thinking level of those attracted by/to working under the old guidelines for me/cfs and what is needed now being the opposite.

And this just proves the issue.

 

AKA "dogfooding" in the computer world.

 

Even referring to the patients as Mrs This and That seems old fashioned and inherently sexist.

Makes me think of "women know your limits" from The Fast Show.