This book presents an international snapshot of the social organization of healthcare work. It brings together a series of papers describing major trends in health services in Australia, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, South America, UK and the USA, including the introduction of new models of organizational governance, the emergence of new medical technologies, and the effects of the promotion of private health insurance.

1. Making connections: healthcare as a case study in the social organisation of work: Davina Allen and Alison Pilnick. 2. The promotion of private health insurance and its implications for the social organisation of healthcare: a case study of private sector obstetric practice in Chile: Susan F. Murray and Mary Ann Elston. 3. Understanding the social organisation of maternity care systems: midwifery as a touchstone: Cecilia Benoit, Sirpa Wrede, Ivy Bourgeault, Jane Sandall, Raymond de Vries and Edwin R. van Teijlingen. 4. Managerialism in the Australian public health sector: towards the hyper-rationalisation of professional bureaucracies: John Germov. 5. What's in a care pathway? Towards a cultural cartography of the new NHS: Ruth Pinder, Roland Petchey, Sara Shaw and Yvonne Carter. 6. Arguing about the evidence: readers, writers and inscription devices in coronary heart disease risk assessment: Catherine M. Will. 7. Telephone triage, expert systems and clinical expertise: D Greatbatch, G Hanlon, J Goode, A O'Caithain, T Strangleman and D Luff. 8. Finding dignity in dirty work: the constraints and rewards of low-wage home care labour: Clare L Stacey. 9. Access, boundaries and their effects: legitimate participation in anaesthesia: Dawn Goodwin, Catherine Pope, Magge Mort and Andrew Smith. Notes on Contributors. Index.