Abstract
Lately, there has been a convergence between open source and software platform approaches in the implementation of health information system solutions for developing countries. Open source software, comprise all software distributed together with its source code under a license that permits the end user to study, modify and redistribute the software. Software platforms, on the other hand, comprise of software artefacts that have an extensible codebase that provides core functionality shared by applications associated with it and an interface through which it interoperates with such applications. The convergence of these two approaches in implementing health information system solutions has given rise to what can be termed as open source health information software platforms. DHIS2 is an example of such open source health information software platforms.
For developing countries, leveraging an existing open source health information software platform and its complementary applications can be less-risky, less-time consuming, and more cost-effective than starting from scratch. However, software platforms come with implicit human capacity requirements necessary to turn them into working solutions within context of use. However, research on open source software and health information systems in developing countries reports of failures attributed to deficiencies in requisite human capacities. Lack of requisite human capacity, if it exists, can constrain efforts by developing countries to leverage open source health information software platforms despite the promises they hold.
Against this background, the main objective of this study is contributing towards a practical and conceptual understanding of developing countries can effectively leverage open source health information software platforms against a backdrop of reported human capacity challenges. For this purpose, a case study involving efforts leveraging the DHIS2 software platform in Malawi, a developing country in southeast Africa, was carried out. Findings from the study relate leveraging open source health information software platforms in developing countries to a range of requisite human capacities, boundary resources and socio-technical generativity in relation to the platform itself, social relationships and generative capacity of actors involved.
With these findings, the study contributes theoretically by advancing socio-technical generativity as a concept to provide a holistic account for generativity exhibited by open source software platforms within their context of use. In addition, drawing on the boundary resources model, the study proposes an extended model to bring to the foreground external generative capacity and capacity building boundary resources as co-factors with software development boundary resources in shaping third-party development. Practically, the study contributes by itemizing and describing requisite human capacities for leveraging open source health information software platforms in developing countries that should guide efforts auditing and building requisite human capacities for open source software platforms in developing countries.