Is Healthcare a Common Good? Philosophical Perspectives and Clinical Practices in Boston and Kampala

Abstract

Our cross-cultural study investigates the attitudes and experiences of health care workers in Kampala, Uganda and Boston, USA. We are interested in how ideas about self, community, and common goods shape the practice of medicine in these contexts. Using focus groups discussions, we will explore questions like: (1) To what extent do clinicians see health and/or healthcare as common goods? (2) In what ways do practitioners define themselves as members of communities, and which communities matter the most to them? (3) How do these attitudes shape their practice of medicine, including their self-understandings and aspirations as clinicians, and their understandings of how medicine relates to other social practices and forms of expertise? (4) How does all this affect clinicians’ experiences of moral injury and burnout? As theoretical background for our empirical investigation, we will examine African and Aristotelian frameworks for understanding common goods, identity, and community, aiming to integrate insights from both traditions. By combining philosophical reflection with clinician focus-groups, we're hoping to build stronger frameworks for understanding common goods in healthcare, while also shedding light on how different cultural viewpoints impact healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of those providing it.