IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v277y2021ics0277953621002598.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Becoming a diagnostic agent: A collated ethnography of digital-sensory work in caregiving intra-actions

Author

Listed:
  • Maslen, Sarah
  • Harris, Anna

Abstract

Sociological contributions on digital health have acknowledged the enduring significance of sensory work in diagnosis and practices of care. Previous explorations of these digital and sensory entanglements have focused separately on healthcare providers or patients/caregivers, rarely bringing these worlds together. Our analysis, based on the collation of ethnographic fieldwork in clinics, medical schools, and homes in Australia, offers rare insights into caregiver and practitioner perspectives. We interrogate the work involved in digital-sensory becoming, as caregivers (in our case parents) learn to assign diagnostic meaning to potential childhood disease. Working with Karen Barad's concept of ‘intra-action’, we demonstrate how diagnostic knowing is enacted between practitioners, parents, senses, and devices. We identify seven aspects of digital-sensory learning: attention to the change from normal; testing/searching for signs and symptoms; confirmation and direction from more experienced others; mimicry; analogy/metaphor; digital archiving; and reference to validated digitised signs. We found that this learning does not take place discretely in the clinic or at home. Doctors and parents both do digital-sensory work to register, co-witness, and mutually enact disease by interpreting signs and symptoms together in their caregiving intra-actions. Our article also champions collated ethnography as a methodological approach for making sense of complex assemblages in healthcare.

Suggested Citation

  • Maslen, Sarah & Harris, Anna, 2021. "Becoming a diagnostic agent: A collated ethnography of digital-sensory work in caregiving intra-actions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:277:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621002598
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113927
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953621002598
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113927?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van der Geest, Sjaak & Finkler, Kaja, 2004. "Hospital ethnography: introduction," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(10), pages 1995-2001, November.
    2. Vaike Fors & Sarah Pink, 2017. "Pedagogy as Possibility: Health Interventions as Digital Openness," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-12, June.
    3. Schubert, Cornelius, 2011. "Making sure. A comparative micro-analysis of diagnostic instruments in medical practice," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(6), pages 851-857, September.
    4. Anna, Petrenko, 2016. "Мaркування готової продукції як складова частина інформаційного забезпечення маркетингової діяльності підприємств овочепродуктового підкомплексу," Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, vol. 2(1), March.
    5. Young, Bridget & Dixon-Woods, Mary & Findlay, Michelle & Heney, David, 2002. "Parenting in a crisis: conceptualising mothers of children with cancer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(10), pages 1835-1847, November.
    6. Jutel, Annemarie & Nettleton, Sarah, 2011. "Towards a sociology of diagnosis: Reflections and opportunities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(6), pages 793-800, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Armstrong, Natalie & Hilton, Paul, 2014. "Doing diagnosis: Whether and how clinicians use a diagnostic tool of uncertain clinical utility," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 208-214.
    2. Brown, Eliza, 2020. "Projected diagnosis, anticipatory medicine, and uncertainty: How medical providers ‘rule out’ potential pregnancy in contraceptive counseling," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    3. Wilson, Nicky & Pope, Catherine & Roberts, Lisa & Crouch, Robert, 2014. "Governing healthcare: Finding meaning in a clinical practice guideline for the management of non-specific low back pain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 138-145.
    4. Vivian Welch & Christine M. Mathew & Panteha Babelmorad & Yanfei Li & Elizabeth T. Ghogomu & Johan Borg & Monserrat Conde & Elizabeth Kristjansson & Anne Lyddiatt & Sue Marcus & Jason W. Nickerson & K, 2021. "Health, social care and technological interventions to improve functional ability of older adults living at home: An evidence and gap map," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(3), September.
    5. Persson, Petra & Qiu, Xinyao & Rossin-Slater, Maya, 2021. "Family Spillover Effects of Marginal Diagnoses: The Case of ADHD," IZA Discussion Papers 14020, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Menkhoff, Lukas & Miethe, Jakob, 2019. "Tax evasion in new disguise? Examining tax havens' international bank deposits," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 176, pages 53-78.
    7. Ran Abramitzky & Roy Mill & Santiago Pérez, 2020. "Linking individuals across historical sources: A fully automated approach," Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(2), pages 94-111, April.
    8. Werner Eichhorst & Ulf Rinne, 2017. "Digital Challenges for the Welfare State," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 18(04), pages 03-08, December.
    9. Sant'Anna, Ana Claudia & Bergtold, Jason & Shanoyan, Aleksan & Caldas, Marcellus & Granco, Gabriel, 2021. "Deal or No Deal? Analysis of Bioenergy Feedstock Contract Choice with Multiple Opt-out Options and Contract Attribute Substitutability," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315289, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. Tommaso Colussi & Ingo E. Isphording & Nico Pestel, 2021. "Minority Salience and Political Extremism," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 237-271, July.
    11. Erkmen Giray Aslim, 2019. "The Relationship Between Health Insurance and Early Retirement: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 45(1), pages 112-140, January.
    12. Balint, T. & Lamperti, F. & Mandel, A. & Napoletano, M. & Roventini, A. & Sapio, A., 2017. "Complexity and the Economics of Climate Change: A Survey and a Look Forward," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 252-265.
    13. Edna P. Conwi & Alexander G. Cortez & Normita Ramos, 2016. "Effects of the Dualized Training Program on the Occupational Interest of the Students Enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management," Indian Journal of Commerce and Management Studies, Educational Research Multimedia & Publications,India, vol. 7(1), pages 31-36, January.
    14. Nihan Akyelken, 2017. "Mobility-Related Economic Exclusion: Accessibility and Commuting Patterns in Industrial Zones in Turkey," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(4), pages 175-182.
    15. Youngna Choi, 2022. "Economic Stimulus and Financial Instability: Recent Case of the U.S. Household," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, June.
    16. Camillia Kong & John Coggon & Michael Dunn & Penny Cooper, 2019. "Judging Values and Participation in Mental Capacity Law," Laws, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, February.
    17. Dreher, Axel & Fuchs, Andreas & Langlotz, Sarah, 2019. "The effects of foreign aid on refugee flows," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 127-147.
    18. Dindo, Pietro & Massari, Filippo, 2020. "The wisdom of the crowd in dynamic economies," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 15(4), November.
    19. Ferrarini, Benno & Maupin, Julie & Hinojales , Marthe, 2017. "Distributed Ledger Technologies for Developing Asia," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 533, Asian Development Bank.
    20. Andrzej Cieślik & Sarhad Hamza, 2022. "Inward FDI, IFRS Adoption and Institutional Quality: Insights from the MENA Countries," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:277:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621002598. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.