Model of decision-making in medical anthropology L. Garro

Abstract

In recent years, within Russian medical anthropology and sociology there has been an increasing interest in the research direction “Medical Choice”. In this regard, the methodology of studying the treatment decision-making process suggested by the American anthropologist L. Garro is of particular value. This approach is based on theoretical provisions of cognitive anthropology. Using a broad empirical base, L. Garro develops a model for making patient decisions in the acute disease case by residents of a small Mexican village. It defines standards of treatment choice, which are typical for the studied community. The article describes the elements of the model, including selection criteria, their combinations, which establish the direction of choice, and alternative solutions. The value of L. Garro’s approach is determined by the unique combination of the theoretical harmony of the model and its proximity to real everyday life, as well as the ability to adapt it to the study of the patient’s medical choice in another socio-cultural context.