NDLI: Power and agency in health information technology: towards a more meaningful participatory design for sustainable development

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Mushtaq, U. Hall, K.
Copyright Year	2009
Description	Author affiliation: University of Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1 Canada (Hall, K.) \|\| Department of Civil Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 Canada (Mushtaq, U.)
Abstract	The role of information technology (IT) in improving healthcare has been acknowledged in existing literature [1, 2]. However, implementation of health IT projects in the global South has yielded mixed results. Some projects have failed outright, while others have been wildly successful at improving the effectives and efficiency of healthcare but eventually failed due to decreasing levels of external support. Participatory design has been highlighted as a possible solution to this unsustainable development. However, the few evaluative studies of these projects have indicated that even participatory design does not ensure project sustainability. A rethinking of participatory design is needed if it is to remain a vital aspect of sustainable development. To that end, this paper first reviews several health IT case studies in India to show the reasons for their long-term failure despite using participatory design. These case studies are unique because the client population is community health workers with scant resources and little agency in their day to day routines. The community health workers often have to follow guidelines imposed on them from the top-down despite knowing more about the local situation. This paper argues that participatory design is too often centered on technology and fails to deal with existing issues of disempowerment that health workers may face. Instead, participatory design with the client community must seek to change existing power relationships in order to give them agency in championing the new IT when external support decreases. The concept of lay participatory design is suggested as a possible approach to changing power relationships.
Starting Page	1036
Ending Page	1041
File Size	393553
Page Count	6
File Format	PDF
ISBN	9781424438778
DOI	10.1109/TIC-STH.2009.5444527
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2009-09-26
Publisher Place	Canada
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	Process design Pediatrics Lay design Agency Participatory design Community health workers Medical services Context awareness Documentation Information technology Sustainable development Guidelines Health information technology Power awareness Component Public healthcare Civil engineering
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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