ABSTRACT
The Regulation of Health Technology So far, we have seen that clinical, social, political, and ethical considerations shape health technology's development and use. This process is the result of a complex interplay among a number of different actors (e.g., designers, clinicians, patients, patient's family members, managers). We have also seen that values, preferences, and intentions are social constructs that pervade clinical interactions, influence the allocation of health care resources, and are themselves transformed by health technologies. I have argued that clinical practices are embedded in our normative understanding (tacit and explicit) of good health and illness and in the ideals we fashion around them. I have also contended that technology is a vehicle that is used to change or shift current health care practices toward different types of ideals. Finally, I have stressed that norms are relational, which means they are defined, enacted, ignored, criticized, and/or challenged in the course of social interactions. Thus, what we consider to be an appropriate use of health technology is, by definition, socially constructed, multidimensional, and subject to constant change.
