User:Alexander Quellhorst/Evaluate an Article

Name of article:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_healthcare

With bioethics becoming an increasingly relevant and sensitive topic, especially in developed countries, I think that the philosophy of health care is one of great importance. Topics such as euthanasia, reproductive rights, religiosity, and patient autonomy are hot button issues that have moved to the forefront of medical ethics.

Lead

The lead briefly describes the meaning of the term "philosophy of healthcare", making references to social structures, modern liberalism, and a set of fundamental questions. However, it does not seem to sufficiently outline what the article will be composed of. The lead makes no references to religion, or the role that is played by culture.

Content

Although most, if not all, of the content found in the article seems to relevant, it is clear that there are large chunks of relevant information that are missing. Many of the citations have aged by at least 10-15 years, and little "philosophy" is going to be done through corresponding government websites. Most of the article's sections are in need of additional editing, especially those of "Birth and Death" and "Role Development" (which may be a little more sociological in nature). While Hippocrates was mentioned just twice, the Hippocratic Oath is not mentioned all. Furthermore, the non-American/Canadian perspective on this crucial sub-philosophy is entirely non-existent in this article. Eastern philosophies of healthcare are likely to provide us with very different viewpoints, which this article is starving for.

Tone

While I found that the article was fairly neutral, it seems to lean toward the political left, which is an opinion that can also be found in the Talk section. That being said, it simply could have been the work of a single editor. The article's value is damaged by its Americentrism, and the "See also" section is shockingly empty, although it includes a link to the Catholic Church's position on health care, which is insufficient.

Sources and References

As previously mentioned, the references used in this article may be relevant, but worn. Considering that it is unlikely due to a lack of research in this field and the ones that surround it, it is apparent that much of this article requires a fresh coat of paint.

Organization

The article is fairly concise, and the information is made to be easily digestible. Generally, the article is well-written, but it lacks enough substance to qualify it as "well-organized".

Images and Media

The five images that are currently available don't do much to add to the article, aside from display the occasional figure. The essences of both "philosophy" and "health care" aren't quite encapsulated by these images. To the best of my knowledge, these images do not violation any copyright regulations/laws.

Checking the talk page

Most of the Talk section is taken up by comments suggesting that the article severely needs more content, especially from countries and cultures other than that of the United States and Canada. Overall, the Talk section is rather short, which is unsurprising given the amount of similar Wikipedia articles concerning ethics, health care, and philosophy in general. The page is being used in three WikiProjects, which concern philosophy, medicine, and nursing.

Overall

While the article is well-written and cite fairly relevant sources, its lack of content reflects the fact that the article is only scratching the surface of the discussions that could be taking place. The editors are keen to cover the different dimensions of health care-related ethics (medicine, nursing, and business), which remains limited to the American (and generally Western) perspective. The most valuable additions would be those that mention Eastern philosophies, religiosity, and how modern/science technology plays a part in morphing the dialogue. All in all, the page is underdeveloped for a topic of such vitality, and is deserving of more attention and more recent research contributions.

Optional activity

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Philosophy_of_healthcare

As the page indicates, the Wikipedia article regarding the "Philosophy of Healthcare" is centered around the discussions that take place in the United States. The article would greatly benefit from additions concerning non-American points of view on reproductive rights, euthanasia, etc. Similarly, I imagine that ethical conversations surrounding healthcare would differ greatly depending on cultural norms. For such an engaging topic, I would imagine that this article could have been at least twice as lengthy. Overall, I don't think the article is overly skewed in any direction, but that is not to say that it is completely without bias. A question I have for future editors of this article: Is the quality of available healthcare in any given country an important factor in the resulting philosophy thereof?--Alexander Quellhorst (talk) 20:27, 29 January 2020 (UTC)