Paper short abstract:

I examine methodological and theoretical approaches in conventional vs. applied health research by drawing from fieldwork in Guinea-Bissau and Iceland. Despite differences, conventional research and applied health research are influenced by each other's methodological and theoretical approaches.

Paper long abstract:

In this presentation I will examine methodological and theoretical approaches in conventional vs. applied health research in anthropology. I will draw from my own fieldwork experiences, in particular from the research project Abnormal Birth: Ethical Questions and Practical Life conducted in Iceland. In the research I aim to examine ethical questions concerning treatment and eventual end-of-life decisions for infants with birth weight of 1000 g or less and the implications on the daily life for the families involved. Methodological approaches include fieldwork in a neonatal intensive care unit and visits to the infants' homes, their day-care centres and ambulatory treatment facilities. In-depth interviews were taken with parents, family members and professionals.

Despite existing differences, conventional research and applied health research (not only within medical anthropology) have increasingly become influenced by each other's methodological, and to some extent theoretical, approaches. Within medical anthropology the boundaries are often blurred between these two fields. However for research to become truly applied, anthropologists have to publish their findings in relevant forum and present results in an appropriate language.