An outsider looking in: an anthropologist in rehabilitation settings.

Abstract

In assessing the contribution of anthropological investigation to health services, ethical review committees and health services personnel usually weigh the relationship between the risks to subjects from the research procedures and the benefits of the research results. While these reviews are important, attention should also focus on the benefits of the research process, itself. In rehabilitation settings, located at a Veterans Administration Medical Center, psychiatric-care facility, the anthropological research process benefits staff members and patients. Using the role of participant-observer, the anthropologist serves as an anonymous channel of communication and contributes to patient rehabilitation.