ABSTRACT
This chapter advances two broad conceptualisations of technology in general–and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in particular–in relation to health and illness: the “service delivery” and the “epatient” paradigms. The initial sections focus on the “service delivery” paradigm, according to which ICTs are means to improve the delivery of health services from providers to consumers. The second part of the chapter discusses the “epatient paradigm”, that sees ICTs as enhancing processes whereby patients are more directly engaged with their self–care and with the care of others, individually and collectively. The chapter concludes with considerations on the extent to which these conceptualisations, primarily formulated in the context of early digital practices, apply to contemporary cultures of health and illness.
