Not-so-smart technology

Abstract

It is certain that smart technologies can benefit healthcare from an individual level to comprehensive healthcare services. This chapter reflects on the use of technologies in public healthcare systems and reveals some barriers encountered in the attempt to integrate the World Health Organisation wheelchair services’ good practices into the Brazilian National Health Service information system. Between countries with a population larger than 100 million inhabitants, Brazil is the only to declare healthcare as a duty of the State and a civil right, providing free of charge services to its population. The service is moving from a fragmented to an integrated healthcare service on which the use of technologies plays an important role. This study shows the value of understanding the requirements of the different healthcare service stakeholders and considers the contextual factors to improve service quality. It also shows how technology can become a hurdle rather than assistance to improve healthcare provision.