Digital health: A sociomaterial approach

Area of Science:

• Sociomateriality in Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Science and Technology Studies

Background:

• Digital health is often an undefined term used for investment and reform.
• There is a need for analytical frameworks to understand digital health transformations.
• Current digital health approaches lack depth in addressing complex challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sociomaterial approach for understanding digital health.
• To explore how digitalization addresses challenges in data-intensive, telemedicine, and algorithmic medicine.
• To propose strategies for responsible digital health innovation and care.

Main Methods:

• Sociomateriality framework
• Analysis of digital health manifestations
• Application of Karen Barad's concept of agential cuts

Main Results:

• Digitalization enables health practices to manage quantification, connectivity, and calculation.
• The sociomaterial approach facilitates inquiry into knowledge, relationships, and control in digital health.
• Three strategies are presented for guiding digital health transformation.

Conclusions:

• A sociomaterial approach provides a robust framework for analyzing digital health.
• Responsible digital health requires participatory efforts and recognition of technological affordances.
• The goal is to reorient innovation towards value-centric care in digital societies.