Loftus Stephen
Education for Practice Institute, Charles Sturt University, SILVERWATER, NSW, Australia.
J Med Humanit. 2011 Sep;32(3):213-30. doi: 10.1007/s10912-011-9139-3.
Most health professionals are unaware of the extent to which aspects of language, such as metaphor, influence their practice. Sensitivity to metaphor can deepen our understanding of healthcare and, arguably, improve its quality. This is because metaphors, and the linguisticality of which they are a part, shape medical practice in important ways. Examples are the metaphors used in pain management. By exploring the dialogical tension between such metaphors, we can better understand the ways in which they influence medical practice.
大多数医疗专业人员并未意识到语言的某些方面，如隐喻，对他们的医疗实践产生影响的程度。对隐喻的敏感度可以加深我们对医疗保健的理解，并且可以说能提高医疗质量。这是因为隐喻以及它们所属的语言特性，在重要方面塑造着医疗实践。疼痛管理中使用的隐喻就是例子。通过探究这些隐喻之间的对话张力，我们能更好地理解它们影响医疗实践的方式。
