Careography: Staff Experiences of Navigating Decisions in Neonatology in Denmark

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

In this article, we explore medical doctors’ moral experiences of being responsible for decisions on the lives and sometimes deaths of infants in a Danish Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Drawing on fieldwork, we investigate how clinicians navigate the tension between exercising medical authority and enabling parental involvement in decisions. Introducing the term “careography”, we call attention to how the doctors steer this tension through care for the infant, parents, colleagues, and society in ways that help them overcome moral ambivalences. We suggest that “careography” holds analytical potential to bridge anthropological theories of power, experience, and care.
Original languageEnglish
JournalMedical Anthropology
Volume37
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)253-266
Number of pages14
ISSN0145-9740
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

ID: 176338790