Post-place care: disrupting place-care ontologies

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Digital Health Studies
• Science and Technology Studies

Background:

• The rise of telecare and information technology in healthcare promotes the concept of 'placeless care'.
• Sociological studies emphasize that care practices are always materially situated, challenging the notion of de-territorialized care.
• Existing scholarship lacks conceptual frameworks to address the immateriality and evolving nature of place in digital healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how digital technologies alter the concept of place in healthcare.
• To propose new conceptual tools for understanding digitally-mediated care environments.
• To introduce and define the concept of 'post-place' in the context of healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative case study methodology.
• Analysis of the introduction of sensory reality technology within a care organization.
• Conceptual analysis of 'placed care' in relation to digital landscapes.

Main Results:

• Care practices are being reshaped by digitally produced landscapes, necessitating an expanded definition of 'placed care'.
• The concept of 'post-place' is introduced as a new vocabulary to conceptualize evolving healthcare places.
• Sensory reality technology illustrates the complex interplay between materiality, immateriality, and place in care.

Conclusions:

• The traditional understanding of 'emplaced care' is insufficient for contemporary digital healthcare.
• The concept of 'post-place' offers a generative framework for understanding the changing nature of healthcare environments.
• Adopting 'post-place' can challenge existing place-care ontologies and foster new thinking in digital health studies.