Technospatialities and telehealthcare: unfolding new spaces of visibility

Abstract

The umbrella term ‘telehealthcare’ denotes an array of information and communication technology-based solutions for digitally connecting citizens with healthcare services. Guided by the conviction that bodies can be translated into digital data which may serve as the basis for clinical decisions made elsewhere, these designs are widely assumed to enable a mode of healthcare delivery which is independent of space and time. Addressing the increasing use of telehealthcare for personalized health monitoring targeting the growing populations of elderly and chronic-care patients, this paper suggests that such designs invariably unfold new spaces of visibility. Based on an analysis of articles published in a leading telehealthcare journal, I argue that these new visibilities do not provide a window onto something that is already there. Instead, such visibilities are shaped by the way techno-medical practices and knowledge production processes are intertwined with a specific politico-economic agenda. The paper explores differences with respect to the positioning of older people and chronic-care patients in relation to two versions of health monitoring. While each version represents an attempt to promote individual freedom, improve health outcomes and ensure a functioning healthcare system, contrasting rationales are involved and different types of spaces are being unfolded.