The effects of proximities on learning: The case of chronic pain management in France
The objective of this article is to study the effects of proximity on learning in order to better understand how, at a theoretical level, the dimensions of proximity are articulated with the key steps of the learning process. Empirically, the objective is to better understand these effects in a particular health domain, the treatment of chronic pain in France through consultations in hospital pain centers. The analysis reveals two main findings. 1) organizational proximity favors patient empowerment and, doing so, patient learning. 2) there is a mutually reinforcing effect between social proximity and learning, so far not documented in the literature.