| dc.description.abstract | While mobile technology has massive potential in improving health-related data collection and management in developing countries, failure rates of such projects are high, and many projects fail to materialize beyond small-scale pilot projects. In Uganda, effective Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Response is hindered by inadequate reporting and lack of timeliness in lab testing. This thesis examines how mobile-based technology can be utilized to support the logistics surrounding collection, handling and transportation of biological samples for laboratory testing in Uganda. The study takes an interpretive and participatory approach to development and research, and begins by establishing design requirements for a logistics-supporting application based on the social and technological context of the system. Next, a high-fidelity prototype sample tracking application is developed, using an action research framework to iteratively identify problem areas in the application, plan- and execute actions, evaluate changes, and establish general findings. Across multiple action research cycles, and using the prototype as a mediating artifact to facilitate participation and communication, emphasis has been placed on involving users, local stakeholders and decision-makers across all levels of the Ugandan health sector in the design and development of the system. Evidence shows a mobile-based sample tracking application communicating directly with Uganda’s DHIS2-based data warehouse, utilizing the convergence of technology offered in mobile devices, like camera and GPS, can provide stakeholders with timely and relevant data that would otherwise have been impossible to collect using traditional, paper-based reporting. However, successful implementation hinges on understanding - and accounting for - the socio-economic, political, infrastructural, and digital context the surrounds the system. This includes challenges like inadequate digital infrastructure and internet access, lacking general- and digital literacy among the workforce, fragmented health systems, ensuring long-term funding and continual development, and maintaining privacy of sensitive data. Additionally, the choice of development platform and underlying technology can influence both usability and ease of maintenance. | eng |