Abstract
Introduction

The Danish health care system is pressured due to the technological and demographical development. Patients lengths of stay are shortened and more and more procedures become ambulatory. This presents a challenge in regards to conveying patient related information. Clinician-patient face time is reduced and the patients need for information is arising after discharge. Additionally the health care system does not exploit the potential of information technology in communicating with patients. The aim of this project is to investigate the possibilities for using information technology to create a patient centered informatical solution to day surgery patients.

Materials and methods

A broad range of methods are used in triangulation, where qualitative and quantitative methods are combined, to create a nuanced understanding of the field of investigation. The empirical studies are carried out at Department of Vascular Surgery, Gentofte Hospital. The focus is identification of the information needs of patients with varicose veins. A registration of telephone calls to the ambulatory is performed in order to validate the quantity of calls. Interviews are carried out with clinicians and secretaries in pursuit of knowledge of the target group. Knowledge generated from the interviews forms a starting point of the design of a questionnaire for patients with varicose veins. In designing the questionnaire, a new method has been developed, in regards to gathering as valid data as possible. In the final phase of the project a workshop is carried out with patients treated for varicose veins.

The purpose of the workshop is utilization of active end user participation in the first steps of design and development of an online information service to patients with varicose veins. Using the results from this workshop and supplementing methods, modeling of use cases and activity diagrams are performed in the process of mediating and operationalization of the data to make them usable for development of an online information service.

Results

The investigations have shown, that patients with varicose veins have an information need that is not always adequately covered by the present informatical sources. The relevance of the development of an alternative informatical solution is therefore argued. Furthermore, the user participation in the workshop has resulted in an identification of the informatical content and functionalities that are considered of high value by patients with varicose veins.

Discussion

The necessary considerations in regards to the realization of an online information service are discussed. The perspectives of the users are not always directly realizable when considering the need for securing health related data and the available resources in the department. In order to create a sustainable solution, a broader approach is necessary involving stakeholders in the further development process, including relevant clinicians, the department management and the IT-department.