title: Insights into Global Health Practice from the Agile Software Development Movement.
abstract: Global health practitioners may feel frustration that current models of global health research, delivery, and implementation are overly focused on specific interventions, slow to provide health services in the field, and relatively ill-equipped to adapt to local contexts. Adapting design principles from the agile software development movement, we propose an analogous approach to designing global health programs that emphasizes tight integration between research and implementation, early involvement of ground-level health workers and program beneficiaries, and rapid cycles of iterative program improvement. Using examples from our own fieldwork, we illustrate the potential of 'agile global health' and reflect on the limitations, trade-offs, and implications of this approach.
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flood
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chary
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Austad
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Anne Kraemer
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Waleska López
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Canú
authors.affiliation: Wuqu' Kawoq ∣ Maya Health Alliance, Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala; peter@wuqukawoq.org.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rohloff
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000379:methods; D014943:Global Health; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D011340:Problem Solving; D012107:Research Design; D012984:Software
keywords: global health; implementation science; interventions; local; program design