An individual and collective approach to the continuity of care

Anthony Giddens' theory of structuring offers a comprehensive rationale that explains and allows understanding of the duality of individual and collective action. It takes into account both organisational structures and individual agents' actions and, most importantly, it highlights the underlying dynamics of the "duality of structure". Gidden's theory is the cornerstone of this study on the production and the reproduction of problems in the continuity of oncological care within the Quebec healthcare system. By using it, one can identify the contexts within which action takes place and distinguish the strategies social agents implement in order to deal with the situations generated by those contexts. Finally, one can describe the consequences for the health care system as a whole. The aim of this article is to show how Giddens' theory of structuring can be used for the study of socio-organizational phenomena.