Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting nearly half of adults in the country (Ricci et al., 2020). My papers address the general problem of the rising incidence of CVD in the US. The incidence of CVD is so drastic because of various factors, including those that cause the disease and the limitations to those that can fix it. My technical problem focused on the limitations in medical devices used during catheterization procedures, which are commonly performed to diagnose CVD. My STS research addresses the problem of poor dietary health in the US, which leads to an increased prevalence of CVD.
My technical report is written on redesigning an arm positioning device. This device aims to hold a patient’s arm away from the X-ray through catheterization procedures to allow for a clear view of the catheter as it enters the heart. The current device, however, is not suitable for children as it is designed in a single size. Because children vary in size and weight, they are unable to use the product, causing doctors to use makeshift methods like rolled towels and foam to hold the child’s arms away from their head. This substitute needs to be readjusted numerous times and is not reliable throughout the procedure. This report relays a new design that accommodates pediatric patients. This design consists of three points of adjustment for shoulder width, arm length, and height so that patients from ages zero to twenty-one are able to use the product. My paper provides information on how the device is developed, how to properly adjust the components, and what materials are the best to use. My report determined that an accommodating arm positioning device is able to be developed and an improvement in pediatric cardiovascular catheterizations can be achieved.
My STS research is written on dietary health, and how food companies, scientific research, and dietary advocates influence nutrition in the US. My paper uses Social Construction of Technology to examine how each of these social forces come together to form the current state of nutritional knowledge in America. It reviews how food companies prioritize profit over well-being of their consumers, pushing them towards poor dietary choices. Along with how biased scientific reports mislead people to believe false information and distort their understanding of proper nutritional needs. Advocates for diet such as nutritionists and the FDA positively lead people towards healthier choices, but they do not form a strong enough influence to overcome that of food industries and misleading science. This report determines that advocating for a stronger voice from nutritionists, dieticians, and government agencies like the FDA will create a positive cascade of dietary knowledge and benefit the overall health of Americans, decreasing prevalence of CVD.
Through analyzing how current methods of diagnosis for CVD can be improved along with how dietary health in the US can be better influenced, these papers contribute to solving the problem of the high incidence of CVD in America. My STS paper had limitations in reviewing all stakeholders involved in dietary health such as policymakers, healthcare providers, or educational institutions. My technical paper was limited in using alternative manufacturing resources to produce the most viable product. Moving forward, more medical devices that do not accommodate all types of patients, including age, race, gender, and ethnicity should be redesigned. Generating inclusive medical devices will work to reduce CVD along with numerous other health issues. Adding onto this, the next step towards spreading proper nutritional knowledge could include using social media and non-profit organizations to raise awareness of the issues at hand and form funding for the proper influences of nutrition.
For the technical project, I’d like to thank my team; Keelin Reilly and Amalie Harrison, for putting in numerous hours of work and collaborating towards a final product. Their technical and organizational skills helped tremendously in receiving our outcome. I’d also like to thank our advisor, Michael Shorofsky for providing us with many resources, advice, and guidance throughout the project along with Timothy Allen for assisting us through the past year as well.
For the social project, I would like to thank both Peter Norton and Caitlyn Wylie for providing advice, feedback, and driving me to think critically throughout this process.
