Using Participant Observation for Organizational Discovery and Systems Analysis: Global AIDS Program Uganda

Recent scaling up of HIV/AIDS treatment at one of the Global AIDS Program's (GAP) major partner organizations required the CDC's informatics team in Uganda to develop a clinical information system during a time of significant growth and change within the organization. Analysis of system utilization revealed numerous discrepancies between system functionality and the workflow of the clinic it was designed for. Participant observation was an effective data collection method for documenting the impact of the clinical information system on the organization, and for assessing the suitability of the system for the intended clinic.