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Reference and Identity in Public Discourses
Edited by Ursula Lutzky and Minna Nevala
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 306] 2019
► pp. 205–225

To be or not to be … a patient

Identity construction of healthcare professionals and patients in public online diabetes-related interaction

| UCLouvain
This study offers an analysis of medical and emotional identity features put forward by participants asking questions and providing answers in three types of public online diabetes-related interaction in Spanish (frequently asked questions, chat sessions and fora). The results show that many writers present themselves not as diabetics but as relatives of a diabetic, or else refrain from specifying their relation to diabetes. Furthermore, as no shared patient-professional identity is constructed, the healthcare relationship profiled is a rather traditional one. The differing natures of the platforms and genres are reflected in the identities constructed. In the FAQs a more impersonal or collective identity is apparent, whereas that constructed in the forum tends to be more personal, with more emotional aspects; the chat data occupy an intermediate position.
Keywords: identity, reference, online discourse, healthcare interaction, pragmatics, deixis, Spanish
Article outline
  • 1.Context and research aims
    • 1.1Context
    • 1.2Research aims
  • 2.Methodology and corpus
  • 3.Analysis
    • 3.1Patient identity
    • 3.2Relatives’ identity
    • 3.3Healthcare professional identity
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 21 October 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.306.08dec
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Cited by (3)

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De Cock, Barbara & Charles Antaki
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De Cock, Barbara & Carolina Figueras Bates
2023. Chapter 12. Peer experts as actors for shared understanding in Spanish online health fora. In A Pragmatic Agenda for Healthcare [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 338], ► pp. 291 ff. DOI logo
Figueras, Carolina & Barbara De Cock
2023. Patrones de empatía en dos foros virtuales: el caso de la diabetes y los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación 95 ► pp. 233 ff. DOI logo

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