Carl R. May
Encyclopedia
Carl May in Farnham
, Surrey
is a British
sociologist
. He researches in the fields of medical sociology
and Science and technology studies
(STS
). Formerly based at Newcastle University, he is now Professor of Healthcare Innovation at the University of Southampton
. Carl May was elected an Academician
of the Academy of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences in 2006. He was appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2010. His work falls into two distinct themes.
In medical sociology
he has researched and published mainly on professional-patient interaction and relationships in clinical settings. This work has its roots in social constructionism
and the social theory of Michel Foucault
. Over the past decade his work has become more focused on the ways that interaction processes are embedded in, and represent, their socio-technical contexts. This led to studies of the interaction between health technologies and their users. These studies have explored the sociology of telemedicine
In Science and Technology Studies
his work investigates how innovations become routinely embedded in health care and other organizational systems. This research has led to Normalization Process Theory
, developed with Tracey Finch and others, including Victor Montori
http://www.implementationscience.com/content/4/1/29. This is a sociological theory
of the implementation
, embedding, and integration of new technologies and organizational innovations. It is founded on, and has superseded, an earlier Normalization Process Model
for evaluating randomized controlled trials, health technologies, and complex interventions in health care. Most recently,May and colleagues have applied Normalization Process Theory to explaining patient non-compliance with treatment, proposing that a proportion of non-compliance is structurally induced by healthcare systems themselves as patients are overburdened by treatment. To counter this, they have proposed Minimally Disruptive Medicine
, which seeks to take account of its effects on patients' workload.
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He researches in the fields of medical sociology
Medical sociology
Medical sociology is the sociological analysis of medical organizations and institutions; the production of knowledges and selection of methods, the actions and interactions of healthcare professionals, and the social or cultural effects of medical practice...
and Science and technology studies
Science and technology studies
Science, technology and society is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture...
(STS
STS
-Science, medicine, meteorology and technology:*Science and technology studies*Superior temporal sulcus*Socio-technical systems*Severe tropical storm*Scanning tunneling spectroscopy, a spectroscopy technique based on Scanning Tunneling Microscopy...
). Formerly based at Newcastle University, he is now Professor of Healthcare Innovation at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
. Carl May was elected an Academician
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
of the Academy of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences in 2006. He was appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2010. His work falls into two distinct themes.
In medical sociology
Medical sociology
Medical sociology is the sociological analysis of medical organizations and institutions; the production of knowledges and selection of methods, the actions and interactions of healthcare professionals, and the social or cultural effects of medical practice...
he has researched and published mainly on professional-patient interaction and relationships in clinical settings. This work has its roots in social constructionism
Social constructionism
Social constructionism and social constructivism are sociological theories of knowledge that consider how social phenomena or objects of consciousness develop in social contexts. A social construction is a concept or practice that is the construct of a particular group...
and the social theory of Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
. Over the past decade his work has become more focused on the ways that interaction processes are embedded in, and represent, their socio-technical contexts. This led to studies of the interaction between health technologies and their users. These studies have explored the sociology of telemedicine
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
In Science and Technology Studies
Science and technology studies
Science, technology and society is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture...
his work investigates how innovations become routinely embedded in health care and other organizational systems. This research has led to Normalization Process Theory
Normalization Process Theory
Normalization process theory is a sociological theory of the implementation, embedding, and integration of new technologies and organizational innovations developed by Carl R. May, Tracey Finch, and others...
, developed with Tracey Finch and others, including Victor Montori
Victor Montori
Victor M. Montori, , is Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Montori was born and raised in Peru. He completed medical school at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru, before joining the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Mayo Clinic, where he was...
http://www.implementationscience.com/content/4/1/29. This is a sociological theory
Sociological theory
In sociology, sociological perspectives, theories, or paradigms are complex theoretical and methodological frameworks used to analyze and explain objects of social study. They facilitate organizing sociological knowledge...
of the implementation
Implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
, embedding, and integration of new technologies and organizational innovations. It is founded on, and has superseded, an earlier Normalization Process Model
Normalization process model
The Normalization Process Model is a theory that explains how new technologies are embedded in health care work . The model was developed by Carl R May and co-workers , and is an empirically derived grounded theory in medical sociology and Science and Technology Studies , based on qualitative methods...
for evaluating randomized controlled trials, health technologies, and complex interventions in health care. Most recently,May and colleagues have applied Normalization Process Theory to explaining patient non-compliance with treatment, proposing that a proportion of non-compliance is structurally induced by healthcare systems themselves as patients are overburdened by treatment. To counter this, they have proposed Minimally Disruptive Medicine
Minimally disruptive medicine
Minimally Disruptive Medicine is an approach to patient care in chronic illness proposed by Carl R May, Victor Montori, and Frances Mair. In a 2009 article in the British Medical Journal they argued that the burden of illness has its counterpart in the burden of treatment Minimally Disruptive...
, which seeks to take account of its effects on patients' workload.