Yvonne Johansson | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Tensions in the Field of Health Care
In most health and social care sectors in the Western world during
the last few decades there have been increased demands for a
more scientifically supported knowledge base in practice. The
gap between scientifically generated knowledge and practice is
generally considered a dilemma, and to reduce this gap, and to
respond to requirements for a more integrated care within health
and social care sectors, networks are emerging as a solution. This
study focuses nine research and development (R&D) networks set
up to promote a professional approach to care and strengthen the
collaboration between health care sectors in a Swedish health care
setting. The research project was embedded in an action research
approach intended to encourage network development by means
of a dialogical process. The specific research question was: What
are the actors’ perceptions of knowledge networks and how might
we account for the networks’ evolution, role and ways of working?
Bourdieu’s concepts reproduction and symbolic violence were
used as analytical tools and were chosen as a way of answering
and explaining the empirical story line.