Abstract:
This study focuses on the followings: a) identifying Anthony Giddens concept of Modernity
;b) explaining the influence of medicalization in the Thai society ;c) analyzing the risks of the Thai patients stemming from trust and faith in medical specialists who are highly regarded in the Thai society, ;d) recommending the findings to improve fair and safety medical practices in the Thai society.
The sampling group was consisted of 10 victims who were suffered from the damages caused by medical treatment, and requested help from the Foundation for Consumers and the network of those suffering from medical mistreatment. Others are those who filed suit to prove that they really suffered from the mistakes in medical treatment. The data were collected by using in-depth interviews and non-participative observations.Qualitative data were analyzed by using content analysis.
The findings revealed that a) Giddens s modernity concept is shown by symbolization and in expert system which became a social mechanism that controls faith and trust of its members ; b) medicalization gained faith and trust of the patients because it used high technology in expert curing practices, provided high quality services, and enhanced faith and trust of the patients through medical symbols and ; c) the mistake in the malcuring practices put high risks to the patients such as physical, mental, social, economic and family relationship risk.