Overview of Project
This research project is directed by Dr. Adrienne Strong, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida. It is an NSF-funded project on the "Meanings of Pain and the Formation of Pain Care Practices in Tanzania."
Dr. Adrienne Strong's NSF-funded project (2022-2025) on the Meanings of Pain and the Formation of Pain Care Practices in Tanzania. This project assess pain care across multiple levels in two regions of Tanzania, the national Ocean Road Institute in Dar es Salaam and Tosamaganga District Hospital in Iringa. This project intends to develop our understanding of bio-bureaucracy, expansion of biomedical care and power, and how pain care practices fluctuate by drawing off of theories of care, ethics, and hospital ethnography methodologies.
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My Contribution
My research project, under the broader theme previously described, is understanding how age can influence pain care practices and the perceptions of pain. This includes how pain medication is allocated, the kinds of pain older adults experience, and how age shapes patient-provider interactions. Specifically, my research question was "How does age impact the distribution and perception of pain care in Tanzanian hospitals? Are seniors less likely to be prescribed pain medication when there is a limited supply? How does age impact the way pain and pain care is understood?"
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I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Tosamaganga District Hospital for approximately ten weeks over the Summer of 2024. I conducted semi-structured interviews with patients and providers across a variety of age groups, utilized rank-ordering to further understand factors influencing perceptions of who deserves care, and assisted with community-based focus groups. This project expands our understanding of pain, palliative care, and generational differences in regard to perspectives and practices for pain relief and interactions within the hospital.