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8 - Technology and medicine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2009

By
Jeffrey W. Jutai ,
Sherry Coulson  and
Elizabeth Russell-Minda
Edited by
Yair Amichai-Hamburger
Yair Amichai-Hamburger
Affiliation:
Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Interdisciplinary Center, Israel
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Summary

Medical technology in the broadest sense refers to the diagnostic or therapeutic application of science and technology to improve the management of health conditions, and describes a vast array of devices and techniques. Technologies may be behavioral, biological, educational, electronic, mechanical, or pharmacological, or other methods to increase life span and/or improve the quality of life. It may seem pointless to make a sweeping generalization about the impact of medical technology on well-being given this wide range of technologies and different purposes for which they were created. Nonetheless, as it is generally assumed that virtually every form of medical technology has a positive impact on quality of life and well-being, it is important to analyze this assumption critically.

This chapter begins by examining how the relationship between technology and health is conceptualized and therefore how effectively it might be researched. It then examines the research evidence for impact on quality of life and well-being of technologies to assist mobility and vision for individuals with disabilities. It concludes with recommendations on how assistive technologies might be better researched and developed to enhance well-being.

Relevant constructs

Well-being and related constructs of quality of life and psychological functioning are part of a constellation that makes up the human experience with technology and so may be inseparable. There is no universally accepted definition of quality of life (QoL) but some approaches to definition lend themselves to measuring the impact of technology better than others.

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Technology and Psychological Well-being , pp. 206 - 226
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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