Thinking access to healthcare[Penser l'accès aux soins]

This PhD project, funded by the Occitanie Region and the University of Nîmes (2025–2028), investigates the extent to which the organisational culture of public hospitals shapes the conditions of access to care and the dynamics of care delivery. Grounded in an interpretive constructivist approach, it draws on social design, ethnographic fieldwork, and action research methods. The primary fieldsite is the oncology department of Nîmes University Hospital, where ethnographic immersion has been ongoing since autumn 2025. The theoretical framework combines organisational culture theory, the sociology of care work, inequalities in access to care, organisational logics, and the sociology of change. Expected outputs include a cultural mapping of the department, cross-referenced accounts comparing the perceptions of healthcare professionals and patients, and mediation tools developed through co-design workshops. The project also examines the growing role of artificial intelligence in hospital settings and its impact on care pathways and patient experience.