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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Abigail Marks
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Purpose: Previous studies indicate that the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) in health care organizations impairs health care professional’s working conditions and diminishes job discretion. Most of these studies, however, were designed to explore the influence of ICT exclusively on a single group of health care professionals and thereby did not consider the influence of the same technology on other groups of health care professionals. The aim of this article is to explore the influence of a fully integrated ICT system on both doctors and registered nurses within the same working environment: a high- tech hospital. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a high-tech Norwegian hospital. Data were collected in 2016. In total, 264 registered nurses and 172 doctors responded to a questionnaire on their working conditions and experiences with ICT in clinical work. Descriptive statistics, compare means, cross-tables, Chi-square and bivariate correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The findings revealed differences in doctors' and registered nurses' working con- ditions. Registered nurses reported a statistically significant higher workload and better job content than doctors. There was no difference in job discretion between doctors and registered nurses. Both occupational groups experienced that the ICT system impairs patient contact and the quality of health services. We found statistically significant correlations between registered nurses’ and doctors’ experiences with ICT in clinical work and working conditions, whereof the strongest correlation was related to job discretion in clinical work. Conclusion: This study concludes that the impact of ICT on doctors’ and registered nurses’ working conditions in a hospital depends on the experiences of ICT in clinical work. In consequence, it is recommended to involve doctors and registered nurses in the implementa- tion of ICT in hospitals. Keywords: health care professionals, information and communication technology, job discretion, job content, working conditions
Author(s): Kirchoff JW, Marks A, Helgesen AK, Andersen KL, Andreassen HM, Grøndahl VA
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
Year: 2021
Volume: 14
Pages: 2941-2949
Print publication date: 21/10/2021
Online publication date: 21/10/2021
Acceptance date: 28/09/2021
Date deposited: 25/10/2021
ISSN (electronic): 1178-2390
Publisher: Dove Medical Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S327669
DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S327669
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