Do we need a concept to address the influence of technologies in health? The proposal of Digital Determinants of Health

Abstract

Recognizing the significant effects of the New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs), the work reports the experience of a reflection group on the following question: does the massive and pervasive use of technologies in life, and therefore in health, deserve its own concept for analytical and sociopolitical emphasis? Through the experience systematization proposed by Holliday (2006), we propose the concept of Digital Determinants of Health (DDH) as it reflects the need to better highlight NICTs’ actions in the production of health - both from an epistemological and sociopolitical point of view. By suggesting the DDH concept, we urge the academic community to a more specific debate on the consequences of NICTs in contemporary life, in order to guide actions capable of mitigating negative effects and leveraging the benefits of new technologies in healthcare.