Warfarin as a materially and digitally informed drug

Jane Dickson (Lead / Corresponding author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)
    289 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    This article explores the material and digital culture of warfarin, one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the world. The author uses the drug’s 60-year history to describe its materiality and use, showing how and why it has become an informed material. Three ethnographic cases then show where warfarin has produced and is now reproduced by three types of information: NHS Trust guidelines, genetic codes and the INR (International Normalized Ratio). When a drug becomes so entangled with informational and digital technologies, it becomes reliant on them for its proper and safe use; it can no longer be just an informed material but is a digitally informed one.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)312-327
    Number of pages16
    JournalJournal of Material Culture
    Volume23
    Issue number3
    Early online date12 Apr 2018
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2018

    Keywords

    • digital drugs
    • digital materiality
    • material culture
    • medication
    • warfarin

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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