Digital Health

Catherine Hallam
Sep 9, 2018 · 2 min read

Increasing developments in information and communication technologies have had a huge impact on many different industries, and the health and medical industries are no exception.

These technologies offer easier access to health information which can improve the lives of patients in a number of ways. For instance, in a project initiated by the government and Infoxchange, access to information and communication technologies was provided to all residents in a housing estate in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood and residents involved in the program were quick to make the connection between access to information and communication technologies and increased well-being (Broadbent & Papadopolous, 2011, p. 6). One resident reported using the internet to research healthy Western foods (the resident was originally from China), and another found the ability to research and connect with health services invaluable when recovering from a recent illness (Broadbent & Papadopolous, 2011, p. 6).

But as with all things relating to information and communication technologies, the integration of such technologies into the health industry is not without its complications. Those who have less access to information and communication technologies due to factors such as low income are at risk of being left behind. Therefore, increasing reliance on digital platforms to access health information and services has the potential to ‘exacerbate inequities in health access and support, potentially perpetuating and deepening the impact of the digital divide’ (O’Mara, Babacan & Borland, 2010 p. i).

The use of information and communication technologies also has the potential to affect the ways that doctors treat patients. For instance, a study that involved patients tracking their food intake by photographing their meals using an app called MealLogger found that this type of visual self-tracking could reveal patterns in people’s eating habits that wouldn’t normally be noticed under the usual clinical gaze (Ruckenstein, M, 2015, p. 12). However, it also disrupts the clinical gaze, throwing doctors into a world of ‘negotiation, participation and exploration,’ and may eventually cause some changes in the way that doctors approach treating their patients (Ruckenstien, M, 2015, p. 11).

References:

Broadbent, R & Papadopoulos, T, 2011, Bridging the digital divide — an Australian story, Behaviour and Information Technology

O’Mara, B, Babacan, H & Borland, B, 2010, ‘Sending the Right Message: ICT Use and Access for Communicating Messages of Health and Wellbeing to CALD Communities’, the Institute for Community, Ethnicity and Policy Alternatives (ICEPA), Victoria University

Ruckenstein, M, 2015, Uncovering Everyday Rhythms and Patterns: Food tracking and new forms of visibility and temporality in health care, Techno-Anthropology in Health Informatics: Methodologies for Improving Human-Technology Relations, 215, 28–40.