Mobile phone-based healthcare delivery in a Sami area: Reflections on technology and culture

• Main Authors: Andersen, Synnove Thomassen, van der Velden, Maja
• Other Authors: Sudweeks, Fay, Hrachovec, Herbert, Ess, Charles
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: School of Information Technology Murdoch University 2010
• Subjects: CATaC Conference 2010; Norway; Finnmark; sami
• Online Access: http://sammelpunkt.philo.at/id/eprint/3536/; http://sammelpunkt.philo.at/id/eprint/3536/1/andersen.pdf

This paper analyses the redesign of psychiatric services for children and adolescents in a Sami area in the county of Finnmark in Norway. The project included the introduction of a new technology in support of a decentralized model for healthcare service delivery. We focus specifically on the role of culture in the development and implementation of a mobile phone application during the pilot phase of the project. In our analysis we draw on information infrastructure theory. We are in particular interested in the concept of generativity and critically assess its role of in the analysis of technology in a culturally diverse context.