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The duality of health technology in chronic illness: how designers envision our futureDepartment of Health Administration, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Interdisciplinary Health Research Group (GRIS), PO Box 6128, Branch "Centre-ville", Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada, pascale.lehoux{at}umontreal.ca This essay critically explores the role of technological innovation in the constitution of chronic states and illness. Drawing on the co-construction of technology and society perspective, it focuses more specifically on the way in which innovation designers envisage the enhancement of the chronically ill and build certain kinds of socio-technical configuration to deal with chronic illness. Using the case of `intelligent distance patient monitoring' as an illustration, the paper argues that technology creates as much as it solves the problem of chronic illness. Technology is recursively embedded in chronic illness and it generates dual effects: it constrains and sustains users' daily practices. Only by recognizing technology's duality and eventually transcending it will research and policy initiatives be able to deal creatively and responsibly with the design of our future health experiences.
Key Words: Chronic illness Distance monitoring Duality of technology Health technology design
Chronic Illness, Vol. 4, No. 2,
85-97 (2008) |
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