A critical introduction to the role and cultural significance of technological innovation in redefining the boundaries of medicine and the body, tracing this process through the figure of 'the lifecourse'.

This stimulating collection of essays, a product of face-to-face dialogues among anthropologists, sociologists, and philosopher-historians, focuses on the newly created biomedical technologies and their application in practice. Drawing on ethnographic and historical case studies, the authors show how biomedical technologies are produced through the agencies of tools and techniques, scientists and doctors, funding bodies, patients, clients, and the public. Despite shared concerns, the contributions reveal that the authors have achieved no consensus about the objectives of their research. Deep epistemological divides clearly remain, making for provocative reading.

New medical technologies are increasingly at the centre of novel transformations in the human and social body. Whilst reproduction, health, ageing and dying have long been areas for technical intervention, the emergence of molecular biology and information technology raise far-reaching political, social and subjective questions. New Medical Technologies and Society provides a critical introduction to the role and cultural significance of technological innovation in redefining the boundaries of medicine and the body, tracing this process through the figure of "the lifecourse". Drawing on approaches from sociology and Science and Technology Studies, the authors explore key issues, theories and debates at the junctures of bodies and medicine. In a style that is both innovative and challenging, Nik Brown and Andrew Webster open up an important examination of new medical technologies not only for those directly engaged, but for a wider audience interested in the ways in which contemporary technologies can be interrogated through core sociological inquiry. They argue that, whilst many technologies emerge from and extend long-standing frameworks of medical treatment, genuinely novel and radical challenges to our interpretations of embodiment are emerging. The book will be essential reading for both students and scholars of the sociology of science and technology, medical sociology, social theory, genetics and informatics.

Although the use of new health technologies in healthcare and medicine is generally seen as beneficial, there has been little analysis of the impact of such technologies on people’s lives and understandings of health and illness. This ground-breaking book explores how new technologies not only provide hope for cure and well-being, but also introduce new ethical dilemmas and raise questions about the 'natural' body. Focusing on the ways new health technologies intervene into our lives and affect our ideas about normalcy, the body and identity, Medical Technologies and the Life World explores: how new health technologies are understood by lay people and patients how the outcomes of these technologies are communicated in various clinical settings how these technologies can alter our notions of health and illness and create ‘new illness’. Written by authors with differing backgrounds in phenomenology, social psychology, social anthropology, communication studies and the nursing sciences, this sensational text is essential reading for students and academics of medical sociology, health and allied studies, and anyone with an interest in new health technologies.

Individuals with disabilities, chronic conditions, and functional impairments need a range of services and supports to keep living independently. However, there often is not a strong link between medical care provided in the home and the necessary social services and supports for independent living. Home health agencies and others are rising to the challenges of meeting the needs and demands of these populations to stay at home by exploring alternative models of care and payment approaches, the best use of their workforces, and technologies that can enhance independent living. All of these challenges and opportunities lead to the consideration of how home health care fits into the future health care system overall. On September 30 and October 1, 2014, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council convened a public workshop on the future of home health care. The workshop brought together a spectrum of public and private stakeholders and thought leaders to improve understanding of the current role of Medicare home health care in supporting aging in place and in helping high-risk, chronically ill, and disabled Americans receive health care in their communities. Through presentations and discussion, participants explored the evolving role of Medicare home health care in caring for Americans in the future, including how to integrate Medicare home health care into new models for the delivery of care and the future health care marketplace. The workshop also considered the key policy reforms and investments in workforces, technologies, and research needed to leverage the value of home health care to support older Americans, and research priorities that can help clarify the value of home health care. This summary captures important points raised by the individual speakers and workshop participants.

Americans praise medical technology for saving lives and improving health. Yet, new technology is often cited as a key factor in skyrocketing medical costs. This volume, second in the Medical Innovation at the Crossroads series, examines how economic incentives for innovation are changing and what that means for the future of health care. Up-to-date with a wide variety of examples and case studies, this book explores how payment, patent, and regulatory policiesâ€"as well as the involvement of numerous government agenciesâ€"affect the introduction and use of new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and surgical procedures. The volume also includes detailed comparisons of policies and patterns of technological innovation in Western Europe and Japan. This fact-filled and practical book will be of interest to economists, policymakers, health administrators, health care practitioners, and the concerned public.

Examines a range of current innovative health technologies, exploring how far they change the boundaries between the body, health, technology relationship, and assessing the contribution a critical social science can make towards our understanding of this shift.