AbstractsMedical & Health Science

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the organizational aspects of the use of an electronic whiteboard system implemented in a Danish hospital located in Nykøbing Falster. The investigation or study was conducted using ethno-methodological methods and the empirical data was analyzed using qualitative analysis methods. The electronic (EW) whiteboard system had originally been developed in an ED context, but had later been extended to the entire hospital, and the study was conducted about 10 months after that time. The research question asked whether clinicians experienced impacts or consequences in the context of inter-departmental communication and coordination of work, and where there were any challenges in this respect. The results of the study shows that the EW system had been configured and use of it organized in a manner that actually facilitated support of inter-departmental communication and coordination of work. There were impacts such as inter-departmental access to patient data, inter-departmental standardization of the EW interface, the inter-departmental ordering of surgical operations via the EW system, however the study also found that there were challenges relating to the difficulty of accommodating the heterogeneous practices and terminologies of specialty departments in a standardized format. The results demonstrates the complexity of organizing cooperative work using artifacts and technology across organizational units. Finally, the study found a mixed picture with respect to the momentum of EW system use, as it would seem that there is the potential for two diametrically opposite scenarios occurring: one where EW system use intensifies and another where use becomes more subdued.