Attending unintended transformations of health care infrastructure.
BACKGROUND
Western health care is under pressure from growing demands on quality and efficiency. The development and implementation of information technology, IT is a key mean of health care authorities to improve on health care infrastructure.


METHODS
Against a background of theories on human-computer interaction and IT-mediated communication, different empirical studies of IT implementation in health care are analyzed. The outcome is an analytical discernment between different relations of communication and levels of interaction with IT in health care infrastructure. These relations and levels are synthesized into a framework for identifying tensions and potential problems in the mediation of health care with the IT system. These problems are also known as unexpected adverse consequences, UACs, from IT implementation into clinical health care practices.


RESULTS
This paper develops a conceptual framework for addressing transformations of communication and workflow in health care as a result of implementing IT.


CONCLUSIONS
The purpose of the conceptual framework is to support the attention to and continuous screening for errors and unintended consequences of IT implementation into health care practices and outcomes.
Department of Communication and Psychology, Virtual Center for Health Informatics, http://www.v-chi.dk/english/index.htm , Aalborg University, Denmark, http://www.kommunikation.aau.dk/index.uk.html.
Helle
H
Wentzer
Ann
A
Bygholm