Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Nursing

Supervisor

Dr. Lorie Donelle

2nd Supervisor

Dr. Richard Booth

Joint Supervisor

Abstract

With the increase of information systems in health care, there is a growing need to better understand factors that contribute to the implementation and use of such technology. This secondary analysis explored the implementation of a health information system in a large acute care hospital from the perspective of hospital leadership and the health information system developers. The purpose of this study was to: (a) explore a group of interprofessional leaders’ perceptions of social and technical factors which impacted an HIS implementation within an acute care hospital organization; and, (b) uncover how the various social and technical forces contributed to, or prevented, successful implementation of the HIS in relation to nursing practice and education.

A directed content analysis approach was used to obtain an understanding of participants’ perceptions regarding health information system implementation and use. Sittig and Singh’s (2010) sociotechnical framework was chosen as a theoretical framework to guide the analysis of focus group (n=17, in 3 separate groups) and interview data (n=10) from a longitudinal study at an acute care hospital in Ontario, Canada.

Several benefits of the health information system implementation were realized including increased organizational transparency regarding patient flow and improved communication among managers and directors. Findings also indicated that implementation was compromised by problems with inaccurate data stemming from poor interoperability with other health information systems, insufficient training, and turnover of leadership during the implementation process. This type of research is important to support future implementation of information and communication technologies and contribute to a growing body of knowledge regarding the implementation of health information systems in complex healthcare environments. The consolidated evidence generated from this content analysis also has implications for the nursing profession and development of clinical practice. Further evaluation measures must be undertaken to more fully understand the role of nurses in health information systems implementation and optimize the use of these technologies in supporting nursing practice and improving patient care.

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