Epistemic injustice in healthcare
The Universities of Bristol, Nottingham and Birmingham have been awarded a major £2.6 million Wellcome Discovery Award.
The Universities of Bristol, Nottingham and Birmingham have been awarded a major £2.6 million Wellcome Discovery Award.
The concept of epistemic injustice (EI) in healthcare identifies epistemically unjust ways of conceiving of illness, treating ill persons, and allocating healthcare. This application to healthcare, initiated by Carel and Kidd, has inaugurated a new research area, with it's own significant and growing literature. However, much work remains
The concept of epistemic injustice (EI) in healthcare identifies epistemically unjust ways of conceiving of illness, treating ill persons, and allocating healthcare. This application to healthcare, initiated by Carel and Kidd, has inaugurated a new research area, with it's own significant and growing literature. However, much work remains to be done. There are understudied forms of EI in healthcare; there is a need for detailed empirical study of EI cases in healthcare and for empirical testing and validation of the concept; there is little research on how EI could be ameliorated; and the conceptual resources of EI need to be integrated into wider discourses about healthcare.
Epistemic Injustice in Health Care (EPIC) is a bold six-year research project which will address these issues. EPIC will create a step-change in EI research by addressing these four problems.
The project will fill lacunae in existing EI theory; test the validity of the concept via six case studies of EI in ill health; develop strategies o
Epistemic Injustice in Health Care (EPIC) is a bold six-year research project which will address these issues. EPIC will create a step-change in EI research by addressing these four problems.
The project will fill lacunae in existing EI theory; test the validity of the concept via six case studies of EI in ill health; develop strategies of amelioration; and introduce academic and clinical researchers and patient groups to EI to develop its theoretical and practical possibilities. EPIC will offer a new healthcare paradigm, that will benefit patients, increase health equality, and improve healthcare.
The overarching goal of the project is to initiate a step-change in EI research.
The main aims are:
1. Fill long-standing gaps in epistemic injustice theory.
2. Empirically test the validity of the concept.
3. Develop strategies of amelioration.
4. Engage academic and clinical communities on EI’s theoretical and practical possibilities.
F
The overarching goal of the project is to initiate a step-change in EI research.
The main aims are:
1. Fill long-standing gaps in epistemic injustice theory.
2. Empirically test the validity of the concept.
3. Develop strategies of amelioration.
4. Engage academic and clinical communities on EI’s theoretical and practical possibilities.
Fulfilling these aims is an urgent task: systemic problems need systematic analysis. Otherwise, the gaps in our knowledge will continue to stop us developing effective ameliorative strategies to overcome EI. Healthcare practice will continue to be plagued by EI with no tools to address the problem. EPIC will demonstrate how large-scale social institutions, such as national healthcare systems, can be transformed into drivers of social and epistemic justice.
Videos from the EPIC team members taken from our launch event.
What is Epistemic injustice in healthcare?
View recent publications from EPIC team members here.
You can read more about our work by following this link to the EPIC blog.
To reach out to us and find out more about our project, please complete the form, below and join our mailing list!
This project was generously funded by wellcome. Grant : [226603/Z/22/Z], 'EPIC: Epistemic Injustice in Health Care'.