BioButton: The Life Altering Device Through a Biopolitical Lens
Kathi Schlegel, MTS, PhD Student, University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology
The BioButton is a sophisticated device that debuted in March, 2020 by the company BioIntelliSense. The medical-grade stick-on monitor collects more than 20 health data points including vital signs, as well as infection related symptoms such as vomiting and coughing. The BioButton is promoted to both the patient and the healthcare provider forremotely monitoring the health of a patient.
Wendell Berry writes that half the energy of the medical industry may be devoted to examinations and to see if we in fact do have disease, calling our actions “universal hypochondria”. As we know death is a certainty, living life does not mean that we need to spend as much of our time (particularly in our later years) in doctors offices ‘in case’ something with our health can be preventable or slowed down. And health is more than a chart of statistics. Berry in fact defines the word “health” as coming from the root “whole”, and I suggest that healthcare providers, in addition to collecting standard vital signs, understand that living a whole life of health is also paying attention to what and who is included in human wellness.
In this paper, I will offer important areas of consideration regarding wearable healthcare devices for the patients as they continue to significantly impact the future of healthcare. Using a bio political framework, I will explore the risks in assessing health wellness when separating physiologic healthcare metrics from the whole person.
Wendell Berry writes that half the energy of the medical industry may be devoted to examinations and to see if we in fact do have disease, calling our actions “universal hypochondria”. As we know death is a certainty, living life does not mean that we need to spend as much of our time (particularly in our later years) in doctors offices ‘in case’ something with our health can be preventable or slowed down. And health is more than a chart of statistics. Berry in fact defines the word “health” as coming from the root “whole”, and I suggest that healthcare providers, in addition to collecting standard vital signs, understand that living a whole life of health is also paying attention to what and who is included in human wellness.
In this paper, I will offer important areas of consideration regarding wearable healthcare devices for the patients as they continue to significantly impact the future of healthcare. Using a bio political framework, I will explore the risks in assessing health wellness when separating physiologic healthcare metrics from the whole person.