Mottram, A 2007, The McDonaldisation of medicine: Time and the day surgery patient , in: British Sociological Association Medical Sociology Conference, 5th -7th September 2007, Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients undergoing day surgery utilising a sociological framework for analysis. Although day surgery (ambulatory surgery) has become a global phenomenon little sociological research has been undertaken concerning this trend in healthcare provision. Day Surgery has expanded to encompass significant surgical interventions. It is therefore important to explore it within the wider context of societal change. A qualitative methodology utilising the Glaserian methodology of Grounded Theory was undertaken. Semi -structured interviews were conducted with 145 patients and their relatives on three occasions in two day surgery units in the United Kingdom. Analysis of the data involved line-by line analysis, compilation of key words and phrases (codes) and constant comparison of the codes until categories emerged. A major category to emerge from the study was the importance of time to the day surgery patient. The majority of patients liked day surgery and placed it within the wider societal context of efficiency and speed. They likened it to a MacDonald’s experience with its emphasis on predictability and control and thought it could be used as a model for the organisation of health care. This research throws new light on patient experiences of day surgery and offers an understanding of day surgery against a western culture which emphasises the importance of speed and efficiency. Ritzer’s McDonaldization thesis is discussed and an analogy drawn between the fast food chain and day surgery.

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