Deprofessionalization typically means the withdrawal of knowledge until
the original job is no longer needed. However, in healthcare, the system
cannot afford to undergo deprofessionalization. Deprofessionalization in
healthcare refers to the process of losing skills. Losing skills does not erase
the original position, it just means the physicians are losing knowledge in
one area. Currently, the system cannot afford the deprofessionalization of
healthcare staff as it is already suffering from shortages - adding
incompetent or rule-breaking staff would cripple the system more than it is
now.!
One issue with the deprofessionalization of healthcare is the move from
viewing healthcare workers for their true profession and, instead, seeing
them as “service providers” and patients as “consumers” (Smith, 2016).
This means some services may be purely for lifestyle needs rather than
medical needs. A concern for the future is that deprofessionalization will
spread and evolve further. This is another possible factor with a negative
influence over the healthcare system.!
The deskilling of healthcare professionals could also be aided by the
advancements in technology including AI (Kundu, 2021). This new
technology aids in processes such as decision-making and prescriptions.
While the technology can improve patient outcomes and quality, it is also
removing the knowledge burden from physicians, lending to
deprofessionalization.!
References
Kundu, S. (2021).!How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Medical
Training.!Retrieved from!https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-021-
00003-5
!
Smith, W. J. (2016).!The Deprofessionalization of Medicine. Retrieved
from!https://www.nationalreview.com/human-exceptionalism/deprofession
alization-medicine/
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