‘Rage against the machine?’ nurses and midwives’ experiences of using computerized patient information systems for clinical information. A summary with commentary
This is a qualitative study where data was collected late 1998. The goal is to answer what are nurses’ and midwives’ experiences of using Computerised Patient Information Systems CPIS?
This study is an answer (getting back) to IT professionals who don’t believe in that customers are always right and claim that clinicians resistance is because of ‘resistant to change-period’ or ‘more education and training’ is needed. But, may be IT professionals do care for customers. But, these customers are not the clinicians that will use the new system. The customers are health care management and IT professionals that will choose and pay for the new system.
Researchers conducted 13 focus groups involving 53 practitioners across five Australian states. Although this study was conducted in late 1998 the experiences expressed are similar to the ones I experience.
CPIS developers advertise that these systems could help the complex clinical environments. But according to the the nurses and midwives in this study, these systems failed to capture these complexities. We know more then we can say, and say more then we can write. It seems that we can put in CPIS less then we can write.
Many expressed that CPIS felt like a big black hole. Clinicians exert effort to enter data but could not get this back when needed. Only the powerful groups in the organisation are severed with needed information.
