Health, Technology and Society by Unknown

Health, Technology and Society by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789811543548
Publisher: Springer Singapore


Reflection by Alan Petersen, Megan Munsie, Claire Tanner, Casimir MacGregor and Jane Brophy

Like most large research projects, ours has a long history and has involved many people. Our book was the culmination of two Australian studies: one which explored 16 patients’ and carers’ perspectives on stem cell travel, and a subsequent larger project (led by Alan Petersen, in collaboration with Megan Munsie, and funded by the Australian Research Council) involving interviews with 24 Australian patients and carers who had undertaken treatments and 27 individuals who, at the time of interview, had contemplated embarking on stem cell treatments but had not done so. The latter study also involved interviews with providers, scientists, clinicians, representatives of patient advocacy groups, as well as regulators in two countries to which Australians had travelled for stem cell treatments, namely Germany and China. Claire Tanner and Casimir MacGregor were the research fellows, and Jane Brophy undertook fieldwork (as part of her PhD) in China.

Our research commenced in 2009 with a small project undertaken by Alan Petersen and Kate Seear, involving interviews with stem cell researchers and an analysis of online advertising on stem cell treatments. Subsequently, we (including Megan Munsie) applied for and were awarded funds by the Australian Government to undertake our research, which was published as a report (Hopeful Journeys) in 2010. This work was undertaken against a background of growing international interest in ‘stem cell tourism’ by media, scientists, clinicians and regulators.

While our fieldwork was completed in 2015, subsequent local and global developments confirm the continuing significance of many of the findings highlighted by our research. Our research highlighted the significance of ‘hope’ in sustaining the commercial market for reputed stem cell treatments. We used the concept of ‘political economy of hope’ to explore the dynamics of this market, including patient journeys. This was because we found the language of hope pervasive—in patient stories, in advertising and news reports—and recognised that hopes are socially created and sustained by many actors with often competing social, health, financial, personal and political interests. Hope remains a central feature of and driver in the current global industry that has nonetheless changed significantly since the beginning of our research. Business is booming not just in developing economies such as China and India but in countries presumed to have high regulatory and ethical standards governing health and medical care, such as the USA and Australia (Berger et al. 2016). Incidences of harm also continue to grow (Bauer et al. 2018).

In response to these changing dynamics, there have been some regulatory developments in efforts to curb the growth of unscrupulous operators. Notably, Google (in September 2019) announced a ban on advertising of ‘unproven or experimental medical techniques’ including stem cell treatments following what they describe as a ‘rise in bad actors’. A single Florida clinic was also recently closed by the Federal Drugs Administration following a court case this year (2019) in the US, yet hundreds of clinics remain open for business. In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) have



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