Introducing:
Following the merger of hospitals into larger units in the Danish regions, electronic whiteboards are being implemented, in order to improve patient flow throughout the hospitals. Electronic whiteboards support patient overview, communication and coordination. The implementation of electronic whiteboards is being done to reduce waste of resources, low productivity, and reduce delays in patient treatment. This project aims to examine the use of electronic whiteboards as a tool to improve patient flow, from a user perspective.
Method:
Data was collected and processed with a phenomenological approach. Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews and processed by Editing analysis style.
Results:
The users perceive the electronic whiteboards as enabling overview, but lack the necessary understanding for the purpose of implementation. Thus, the use of electronic whiteboards varies between departments and staff. To support an effective patient flow, electronic whiteboards must retrieve and display patient information from hospital ICT-systems in real-time. However, currently, no connection between electronic whiteboards and ICT-systems is present and staff must enter patient information manually. Furthermore, the continuous manually updating of the electronic whiteboards is lacking.
Conclusion:
As the electronic whiteboards are being used without an understanding of the purpose of implementation, electronic whiteboards have not necessarily improved patient flow in hospitals.