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Martens_66161900_2024.pdf
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- Technologies are playing an increasingly central role in healthcare. They serve a number of purposes, such as facilitating the work of doctors, helping them to make diagnoses and offering more personalized treatment to their patients. These technological advances are designed to respond to the sector's contemporary challenges. These include low back pain, which has remained the leading cause of disability worldwide since 1990 and has a major economic impact on society and individuals. Back rehabilitation machines have been developed to help manage these problems. However, the acquisition of such equipment by hospitals represents a complex and delicate decision. This work focuses initially on analyzing the place of technologies in current healthcare and their interactions with healthcare professionals and patients. Secondly, this Master's thesis takes stock of low back pain (pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, etc.). To continue, the main objective of this work is to evaluate the sustainability of back rehabilitation machines, in comparison with more traditional devices. To achieve this objective, the integration of these machines in a hospital was evaluated using the ‘layer’ method developed by Michael F. Ashby. This procedure identifies all the stakeholders in the proposal and then puts it into context. The acquisition of machines by a hospital is analyzed from an environmental, social, economic, and legislative point of view, and in terms of the obligations and materials used. The results help to identify the impact on the three pillars of sustainable development: the society, the economy, and the environment. Finally, an analysis of the future place of technologies in healthcare is carried out. The results of this study are rather nuanced. From an environmental perspective, greenhouse gas emissions associated with machines are higher than those of alternative tools, even though they are made from more recyclable materials. From a social perspective, this can vary greatly depending on the opinions of health professionals and patients, who are the main stakeholders. The patients interviewed seem to appreciate the role of machines in their recovery. However, they can reduce social contact between physiotherapists and patients, and they also require additional training for healthcare professionals. Finally, in economic terms, machines are associated with higher expenditure than alternative devices. Depending on the hospital's finances, their objectives and their short- and long-term vision, the final purchasing decision may be different.