This paper considers the uses and non-uses of a particular class of pharmaceutical - statins - drawing on UK fieldwork. These drugs to lower cholesterol have become widely available on prescription, but may not be accepted by patients. In medical sociology the non-use of medicines has been described through the lens of ‘resistance’, as a counter to medical concerns with adherence, yet these discussions have not referred to STS ideas about the uses and non-uses of technologies. We examine points of articulation and difference between these frameworks. In particular we consider the value of Wyatt’s (2003) taxonomy of non-users for our case. Our analysis draws attention to the potential transience of use and non-use over time and the social relations through which this might be mediated. In doing this, we suggest an analytical shift from the identity of actors as users or non-users to the practices of use and non-use.
Funding
DIY Heart Health; ESRC; RES-00-22-3324
History
Publication status
Published
File Version
Accepted version
Publisher
Routledge
Pages
340.0
Book title
The New Production of Users Changing Innovation Collectives and Involvement Strategies