The Paradoxes of Digital Tools in Hospitals: Qualitative Interview Study
Journal
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2024-07-15
Author(s)
Abstract
Background: Digital tools are progressively reshaping the daily work of health care professionals (HCPs) in hospitals. While this transformation holds substantial promise, it leads to frustrating experiences, raising concerns about negative impacts on clinicians' well-being. Objective: The goal of this study was to comprehensively explore the lived experiences of HCPs navigating digital tools throughout their daily routines. Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews with 52 HCPs representing 24 medical specialties across 14 hospitals in Switzerland were performed. Results: Inductive thematic analysis revealed 4 main themes: digital tool use, workflow and processes, HCPs' experience of care delivery, and digital transformation and management of change. Within these themes, 6 intriguing paradoxes emerged, and we hypothesized that these paradoxes might partly explain the persistence of the challenges facing hospital digitalization: the promise of efficiency and the reality of inefficiency, the shift from face to face to interface, juggling frustration and dedication, the illusion of information access and trust, the complexity and intersection of workflows and care paths, and the opportunities and challenges of shadow IT. Conclusions: Our study highlights the central importance of acknowledging and considering the experiences of HCPs to support the transformation of health care technology and to avoid or mitigate any potential negative experiences that might arise from digitalization. The viewpoints of HCPs add relevant insights into long-standing informatics problems in health care and may suggest new strategies to follow when tackling future challenges.
Keywords
health care
health care technology
health care information technology
hospital information technology
clinical information systems
health care professionals
experience
frustration
clinician burnout
technology implementation
paradoxes
digital tool
digital tools
hospital
hospitals
qualitative interview study
interview
interviews
Switzerland
thematic analysis
Refereed
yes
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Name
Wosny M., 2024, The Paradoxes of Digital Tools in the Hospital - Qualitative Interview Study.pdf
Type
Main Article
Size
426.18 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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