Last week, we had a chance to hear from a group of experts from SOAS about the relationship between health technology and anthropology. They explained how it is important to consider different cultures and how they impact healthcare when designing and implementing new technology.

Our Panel

So, what is it?

The study of anthropology and its means is complex. To truly grasp its history, it is essential to examine it from multiple perspectives. Anthropologists take a holistic approach to understanding the human condition, examining not only the habits and environments of different groups of people, but also how and why they come to be. One disciplinary perspective is social and cultural anthropology, which delves into the study of human societies and cultures and how they come to differ. They also explore how individuals and communities adapt and evolve over time, revealing insights into the complexities of human behaviour and the forces that shape it.

Such an idea can be conceptualised as one word, ‘lifeworld’s’, a new term learnt through the SOAS panel. Defined by Desjarlais & Throop (2011), as ‘the unquestioned, practical, historically conditioned, pretheoretical, and familiar world of people’s everyday lives’.

To study these topics the SOAS panel walked through the wide a variety of research methods used, including participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, public culture analyses, surveys, and visual anthropology. Some anthropologists also focus on design anthropology, which examines the relationship between design and culture. To zoom into one in particular, ethnographic interviewing is a way of gathering descriptive answers by asking the right questions in the right way and over time - the goal is to understand the perspectives and experiences of the people being studied in the context of their everyday lives.

But wait... how is any of this helpful for health/tech?

The link between health technology and anthropology is important because it helps to ensure that technology is developed and used in a way that is sensitive to the needs and perspectives of different cultures. And these areas can be discovered through anthropological studies on consumer wants and needs . In turn this can lead to improved healthcare outcomes and increased access to healthcare for marginalized populations. Additionally, understanding the cultural context of technology use can help to identify and address potential barriers to adoption and use.

To understand further, read below for examples of the mixture of anthropology and health technology:

KlinikEverywhere – ‘has envisioned to use advanced technology to provide care-centric solutions and bring in access to quality care across the length and breadth of the country. The company offers its product on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and helps with hyper-localization of existing health networks. Our Virtual Klinik and Klinik-in-a-Kiosk solution, are pathbreaking game changers that provide anytime, anywhere convenience to the neighbourhood and rural communities’

EverMind - started as an idea to help people get access to affordable mental health care from therapists around the world. You see, we’re all either from mixed heritage, second generation, or living in a country we weren’t born in. And most of us have English as a second (or even third language.) But as we’ve seen, the world has got a little more challenging. So, we’re trying to help in our own way, by empowering people to benefit from therapy the way everyone in our team has.

The panel concluded the session by emphasising the importance of adaptability in anthropological studies of health technology. They explained how the field's ability to evolve and stay current with trends and developments is what gives it credibility and relevance