Payne-Waldock 1

Jocelyn Payne-Waldock

Dona Fletcher

Intro to Sociology

April 13, 2020

What will the impact of the technological revolution be?

The technological revolution refers to the period in which we are now in, where

mechanical and electric technology is being replaced by digital electronics. The technological

revolution is making a huge impact on every institution in society including health. There are

several infrastructural weaknesses in our current healthcare system, but with the new technology

being provided, we can enhance access and increase affordability and quality of healthcare in

America.

Technology will lower healthcare delivery and continue to reduce healthcare costs, “It is

estimated that 30% of the 1.2 trillion spent on healthcare is duplicative G&A costs and clinical

inefficiency. The Internet can decrease costs substantially by streamlining and merging back

office administrative processes of plans and providers” (The Impact of Information Technology

and the Internet on Healthcare Cost, Quality, and Access). Heathcare is always changing

dramatically because of technological developments. Future technological innovation will

continue to change healthcare, “yet while technologies (new drugs and treatments, new devices,

new social media support for healthcare, etc.) will drive innovation, human factors will remain one of

the stable limitations of breakthroughs” ( Technology and the Future of Healthcare).

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While technology will reduce healthcare costs and ease remote delivery, people will not

benefit from this unless they have reliable access. Although low-income populations are more likely

to require healthcare, “...they are also more likely to have unreliable or unstable access to

technology” (Is Digital Technology Making Health Inequality Worse?). About 95% of the people

living in the United States owns a cellphone, but there are many people who frequently change

numbers or experience service disruptions. There are also many times where people run out of paid

airtime minutes and have no form of communication. At the same time, “49% of the general

population, and 63% of those in poverty, have dropped landline telephone service altogether” (Is

Digital Technology Making Health Inequality Worse?). Although technology is very beneficial to

healthcare, digital technology does make health inequality worse.

When taking a closer look at the sociological perspectives and their views on healthcare, I

find that the conflict perspective describes the healthcare system well. The conflict perspective

emphasizes social inequalities and considers how different groups based on class, race, and gender

experience access to healthcare services. The functionalist perspective is concerned about the

functionality of healthcare within society and urges you to appreciate the greater social significance

of your role. The symbolic interactionalist perspective focuses on sickness as a social construction

instead of a medical condition. This perspective focuses on how people develop shared meanings of

health and sickness through ongoing interactions.

All in all, the technological revolution will impact all of society’s institutions, especially

health. We will have the opportunity to enhance access and increase affordability and quality of

healthcare in America. The only downside of this is that digital technology does make health
inequality worse. Although low-income areas usually are more likely to need healthcare- they are

also more likely to have unreliable access to technology.

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Anon. 2017. “Is Digital Technology Making Health Inequality Worse? - IAPHS -
Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science.” IAPHS. Retrieved April 14,
2020 (https://iaphs.org/digital-technology-making-health-inequality-worse/).

Mims. n.d. “A Closer Look at the Sociological Perspectives of Healthcare.” MIMS News.
Retrieved April 14, 2020 (https://today.mims.com/a-closer-look-at-the-sociological-
perspectives-of-healthcare).

Anon. n.d. “THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE INTERNET ON

HEALTHCARE COST, QUALITY, AND ACCESS.” Wye River Group. Retrieved April 14,
2020 (http://www.wrgh.org/impact_on_it.asp).