• Sigrid Hoem
  • Helle Rudebeck
  • Lone Nielsen
Introduction In this project we investigate how digital communication is utilized between nursing staff at hospital and homecare. The project has its initiation in wondering how rarely digital communication is in use today compared with the goal stated in the Danish digital strategy for the health services, ‘National strategi for digitalisering af sundhedsvæsenet 2008- 2012’, saying that in 2012 the main part of communication between parts of the health services should be digitalized. At the same time, how could we be sure that digital communication will improve communication between hospital and homecare nursing staff? And that apparently IT project is known to from time to time end up as not intended. The scientific view in this project is constructivist. We approach the investigation seeking answers to our problem, in terms from Symbolic Interaktionisme, in STS, as described by Strauss, Star and Fujimura. We here see the standards for digital messages in use, as Boundary Objects. Materials and Methods To do research, we looked for an area where digital communication between nursing staff at hospital and in homecare was in use. We have chosen the municipality of Svendborg and Sygehus(hospital) Fyn, in which digital communication have taken part since 2004. To find answers to our wondering, we carried out a single case study, recording data from semi structured qualitative interviews, observation and document studies. We met with the system administrators in both sectors where we were introduced to the IT systems in use. In analyzing the data we made use of an analyze frame based on the terms ‘work’, ‘standardized methods and technologies’, ‘primary activity’, ‘authenticity’, ‘central technology’ and ‘sites’ Results After analyzing we conclude that: • Digital communication is in use as part of the communication, of information related to patients, between nurses in hospital and homecare. • The information included in the messages are sometimes seen as incomplete of the receiving nurse • The automatically generated messages are not always up to date. • Digital communicated messages are not always looked for in hospital We found that utilization of digital communication between nursing staff at hospital and in homecare are influenced by among others; mutual agreements between the parts of communication and standard operation procedures supporting these agreements, time till the receiver see and act on the message, quality of information, and the systems interface. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the nurses who have been involved in our research as informants. The system administrators at Sygehus Fyn and in Svendborg Kommune. We also would like to thank our tutor Pernille Bertelsen, for giving us constructive feedback. At last, a thank you to our families.
SprogDansk
Udgivelsesdato2008
Antal sider96
Udgivende institutionAalborg Universitet
ID: 14380953