The Question Concerning Narration of Self in Health Informatics

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Sociology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Narration is crucial for holistic patient care and the ethical development of health informatics.
• Current health informatics platforms often overlook diverse user narratives, impacting understanding and inclusivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the role of narratives in constructing health informatics platforms.
• To advocate for the inclusion of diverse voices within these platforms.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical framework based on A.-J. Greimas' actant model for narratives.
• Post-phenomenological analysis of human-technology interactions in healthcare.
• Examination of excluded voices and interactions in health informatics development.

Main Results:

• Certain interactions and voices are systematically excluded from health informatics platform design.
• This exclusion stems from their perceived irrelevance to computational and medical expertise.
• Exclusion impacts meaning-making and understanding for both healthcare professionals and patients.

Conclusions:

• Health informatics platforms require narrative inclusivity to fully represent users.
• Prioritizing diverse voices is essential for ethical technology development and improved healthcare understanding.
• Integrating patient and citizen perspectives is key to advancing health informatics.