AI logic of care: premises for upgrading the smart bandages for diabetic chronic wounds

This paper addresses the relationship between the medical application design and the “logic of care” in the context of smart bandages for diabetic wounds. As one of the major medical issues that involve constant monitorisation, chronic wounds are the centre of interest to a number of stakeholders. From patients, caregivers and medical services providers involved in their monitoring and treatment, to engineers, material scientists and designers involved in the products used to treat them. The research of Annemarie Mol has demonstrated that we encounter two “logics” when it comes to medical interventions: the “logic of care” and the “logic of choice” (Mol, 2008). This study examines the prototyping processes for smart bandages for diabetic chronic wounds by taking the “logic of care” into consideration and aims to facilitate new ways of supporting the patients in their treatment. Through an analysis of prototyping processes and theories, a mapping of the existing products related to chronic wounds on the market, a review of the latest research connected to smart bandages and the prospects of an AI-driven medicine service, this paper proposes the “AI logic of care” framework as an emerging, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approach to prototyping. Through this framework, which acknowledges the lack of a “care-centred design” in the research related to smart bandages, and the complexity of innovation processes in medicine, we hope to reconnect a fragmented research context that would hopefully provide some life-changing treatment results.