Deviance among professionals: The case of unnecessary surgery

This paper conceptualizes unnecessary surgery as a form of professional deviance and seeks to conduct a substantial review of the literature on the subject from that perspective. Borrowing from the very nature of professions, one may define deviance among professionals in terms of violating the public service norm. The role that expertise plays in establishing what conduct is deviant is illustrated. The effects of professional autonomy on observing and measuring deviance are explored. Finally, the research findings on unnecessary surgery are summarized. The resulting patterns suggest that applying more traditional theories of deviance to account for the phenomenon may be fruitful.