Mediation of adoption and use: a key strategy for mitigating unintended consequences of health IT implementation.
OBJECTIVE
Without careful attention to the work of users, implementation of health IT can produce new risks and inefficiencies in care. This paper uses the technology use mediation framework to examine the work of a group of nurses who serve as mediators of the adoption and use of a barcode medication administration (BCMA) system in an inpatient setting.


METHODS
The study uses ethnographic methods to explore the mediators' work. Data included field notes from observations, documents, and email communications. This variety of sources enabled triangulation of findings between activities observed, discussed in meetings, and reported in emails.


RESULTS
Mediation work integrated the BCMA tool with nursing practice, anticipating and solving implementation problems. Three themes of mediation work include: resolving challenges related to coordination, integrating the physical aspects of BCMA into everyday practice, and advocacy work.


CONCLUSIONS
Previous work suggests the following factors impact mediation effectiveness: proximity to the context of use, understanding of users' practices and norms, credibility with users, and knowledge of the technology and users' technical abilities. We describe three additional factors observed in this case: 'influence on system developers,' 'influence on institutional authorities,' and 'understanding the network of organizational relationships that shape the users' work.'


CONCLUSIONS
Institutionally supported clinicians who facilitate adoption and use of health IT systems can improve the safety and effectiveness of implementation through the management of unintended consequences. Additional research on technology use mediation can advance the science of implementation by providing decision-makers with theoretically durable, empirically grounded evidence for designing implementations.
Implementation Sciences Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. laurie.l.novak@vanderbilt.edu
Laurie L
LL
Novak
Shilo
S
Anders
Cynthia S
CS
Gadd
Nancy M
NM
Lorenzi
D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D007324:Institutional Management Teams; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems; D017008:Negotiating; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014481:United States