Just because we can, should we? An anthropological perspective on the initiation of technology dependence to sustain a child’s life

Project Information

TechChild

Grant agreement ID: 803051

DOI

10.3030/803051

Project closed

EC signature date 13 November 2018

Start date 1 February 2019

End date 31 July 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 464 101,00

EU contribution

€ 1 464 101,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - TechChild (Just because we can, should we? An anthropological perspective on the initiation of technology dependence to sustain a child’s life)

Reporting period: 2022-08-01 to 2024-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

There are an increasing number of children with complex healthcare needs who require continuous technological support to sustain their lives and there is a scarcity of empirical data on the influences and interactions at the point of the initiation of this technology. An evidence-based theoretical construct is required to articulate and contextualise the levers and penalties of the initiation of this technology. TechChild asks just because we can, should we? and how are the influences on the initiation of technology dependence understood in contrasting health, legal, and socio-political systems? TechChild will be a step change in how we understand the coexistence of humans with an increasing availability of technological augmentations. This is urgent in a society where this debate predominantly happens in the public domain with limited opportunity for healthcare professionals to offer their perspective. TechChild will revolutionise how we conceive access to care and offers a research horizon that questions cultural relativism in a cyborg era. This project elicits the probability of factors likely to influence the initiation of technology dependence, leading to the development of a theory of technology initiation. This ground-breaking exploration will inform technology initiation across the lifespan with implications for healthcare, bioethics, education, parenting, policy making, and legal.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

WP 1: systematic concept analysis of technology dependence
systematic review of reasoning on arguments related to the initiation of technology dependence
systematic review of reasoning on arguments related to the role of bioethics at the initiation of technology dependence

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

1. To conceptualise influences on the initiation of technology dependence in PICU.
2. To explore the formal and informal processes internationally that influences the initiation of technology dependence, from the perspective of those with the authority and ultimate power to make that decision.
3. To identify the greatest influences on the initiation of technology dependence.
4. To elicit consensus and understand influences on the initiation of technology dependence in the context of the contrasting health, legal, and socio-political systems.
5. To develop a theory of technology initiation in healthcare, explaining the interactions and context of the initiation of technology dependence.

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