Commercialisation Risks of Self-Diagnostic Tests in the Context of Philosophical Concepts of Health

Abstract

The article covers the issue of self-diagnostic tests, which, thanks to fast indication and interpretation of health parameters, shorten patient diagnosis. These tests are mainly used by healthcare professionals, but are also increasingly available for purchase in pharmacies and chain stores. The paper claims that the integration of self-diagnostic tests into the market system leads to a shift from the phenomenological account of health, conceived as general psychophysical well-being. Health begins to be interpreted as a set of loosely related biological parameters whose importance is determined by the market.