Rural Doctors on a Global Stage: Do Local Communities Make a Difference?

In an age of globalization, do places matter for medical practices? Rural doctors throughout the world seem to think so, as they strive to understand the nature of rural practice as something different from urban practice. This essay presents some sociological reflections on this subject. Based on a discussion of theories of local communities in modern societies, it is argued that globalization has not altered the distinct qualities of social relations in local communities: the interaction is stable and transparent, and it takes place between total persons. Through these characteristics of the place of practice, distinctive features of rural medicine appear: a local community is a social place in which doctors are offered particularly favourable conditions for recognizing their patients as total and unique persons. This feature is a constituent element of the practice form of rural doctors. Each doctor, however, has to obtain this knowledge and acknowledge its clinical relevance in order for the local community to make a difference. © 2007 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd All rights reserved.