Methodology and workplan

In order to achieve the project's goal, videorecordings of routine consultations between the medical staff and 20 patients at the diabetes outpatient clinic in Cusano Milanino (Italy) have been collected and are being transcribed.

The data analysis focuses in particular on the following aspects:

(1) Identification of the argumentative passages in the consultations and analysis of the argument schemes used by doctors and patients;

(2) Identification of: any linguistic markers of cooperation or resistance; strategies for the construction of a common ground between doctors and patients; strategies for the construction of a cooperative relationship between doctors and patients;

(3) Attention is also devoted to the strategies used by the medical staff to achieve patient empowerment.

The project has been approved by the Ethical Committee of the A.O. ICP (www.icp.mi.it/comitato-etico).