Fresh perspectives on humanizing health technology

With the ever-increasing pace at which Large Language Models as ChatGPT are maturing, we can expect to have real, life-like conversations with technology on health related topics in the near future. This brings new and interesting challenges for the design of Health Technology. Instead of reasoning from the pure function of health technology, we will explore health technology as a social actor with its own distinct social role in the context of the care professional-patient relationship. By envisioning and exploring technology as something both patient as care professional may choose to have relationships with, we can shed new light on issues as uptake, adoption, implementation and therapy adherence.  

But how would such technology work? How do we design technology to play a social role? 

Instead of focusing on theoretical underpinnings, like Latour’s Actor-Network theory, Don Ihde’s Postphenomenology or Peter Paul Verbeek’s Moral Mediation, we opt for a very practical, hands-on approach. We will use participatory design, role play and critical reflection. Together we will explore the possibilities of health technology as an actor in the relationship between patients and health care providers.   

Expect provocative questions like:  

• In whose interest would this technology act? The patient? The GP? The health insurer? The company doctor?
• On what data would it be trained?
• What would its main responsibility be?
• What would its tone of voice be?
• Where would you put it during a consultation?
• Who owns it? And who regulates it?