WeLL Design is cooperating in Rathenau study

Personalizing care technology

New health technology is increasingly becoming a part of daily, personal life. A new, central trend in the development of care technology is personalization. Personalizing means that the individuals keep their own health as much as possible in their own hands.

 
This is a promising development that could give consumers more freedom to their own health experience. This can pressure a value like solidarity and the influence of market parties can expand to our health experience. So there are challenges that must be addressed by involved parties, what the Rathenau Institute wants to put on the agenda.

 
This new technology also means that existing frameworks significantly can shift in care. The distinction between sick and healthy and the relationship between expert and layman, seems to be able to change. This means that the existing responsibilities are different. When it comes to medical technology that is offered outside the hospital, the question is whether they comply with the usual quality requirements. Who sees to it? Who can a care consumer go to if the product is not working? To the producer, the insurer, the government or the doctor? Therefore new social arrangements need to be created in order to keep the grip on the social impact of that technology.

On Monday, December 14, 2009, the report of this study came out to public entitled: "Medical technology: also for home use.” In this report the Rathenau Institute makes recommendations how to achieve the promises concerning the personalization of care technology. On January 21, 2010 is a debate in the Warehouse Silent in Amsterdam.