Thesis abstract:

«p»ICT for Development (ICT4D) explores the use of ICT for socio-economic development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While there are numerous perspectives to studying the use of ICT for development, this research will focus specifically on the use of ICTs for healthcare in LMICs, where it is viewed as a critical tool for the development of public health services and to bridge the healthcare divide. This research is driven by the immense, yet unrealized potential of ICT to advance the quality of care in LMICs in line with the World Health Organization's (WHO) global push to use digital innovations for the translation of data and evidence into action. This research will use the theoretical lens of the sociology of translation to understand the process of translation of digitally enabled health practices and knowledge for healthcare in LMICs. It will also use this theoretical lens to study how the translation of knowledge influences on the evolution of IS artifacts in LMICs. A case study approach will be followed, concentrating on two cases. First, the case of the Western Australia Country Health Service (WACHS) Command Centre (CC) will be studied in relation to how the translation of digitally enabled health practices and knowledge may take place. Second, this research will focus on the case of Continuing Medical Education on Stick (CMES) in understanding how IS artifacts longitudinally evolve over time as it applies to digitally enabled healthcare practices in LMICs.«/p»