Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Implementing an emergency department information system: an Actor-Network Theory case study

Vezyridis, Paraskevas; Timmons, Stephen

Authors



Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are increasingly used in healthcare settings. Despite their technical robustness, their implementation has not always been straightforward. This is a case study of the implementation of a clinical information system for patient registration and tracking in the busy emergency department (ED) of a large English NHS University Hospitals Trust. By adopting an Actor-Network Theory (ANT) approach, the authors explore the complex intertwining of people and machines in the local setting as they negotiate the success of the project. Based on the analysis of 30 semi-structured interviews with clinical and administrative staff and, of relevant policy and project documentation, the authors demonstrate how the technologically-mediated transformation of healthcare practices is not a fixed and linear process, but the interplay of various fluctuating, performative and co-constitutive technical and social factors.

Citation

Vezyridis, P., & Timmons, S. (2014). Implementing an emergency department information system: an Actor-Network Theory case study. International Journal of Actor-Network Theory and Technological Innovation, 6(1), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijantti.2014010102

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 24, 2013
Online Publication Date Feb 18, 2014
Publication Date Feb 18, 2014
Deposit Date Nov 21, 2018
Journal International Journal of Actor-Network Theory and Technological Innovation
Print ISSN 1942-535X
Electronic ISSN 1942-5368
Publisher IGI Global
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 6
Issue 1
Pages 17-30
DOI https://doi.org/10.4018/ijantti.2014010102
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1295034
Publisher URL https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/article/110194