Living with hepatitis C: The medical encounter

This paper is based on interviews with twenty individuals with hepatitis C living in the Auckland region. A primary theme that arose from these interviews was that of the participants' interaction with medical professionals. The stigmatised & ambiguous nature of hepatitis C often made for an unsatisfactory & harrowing encounter. I argue that the biomedical model is flawed in its attitude towards chronic illness. Instead of a one-dimensional focus on treatment & cure there needs to be renewed focus on helping patients 'live a good life while being ill'. Necessary for the attainment of this goal are ongoing models of care that take into account the experiential nature of illness & the social context of the individual. 33 References. Adapted from the source document.