Disputas: Miria Grisot

Prøveforelesning

Bedømmelseskomité

Professor Ina Wagner, Fakultät für Informatik, Technische Universität Wien, Østerrike
Reader Michael Barrett, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK
Associate Professor Sisse Finken, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo

Leder av disputas:  Tone Bratteteig

Veileder:  Prof. Ole Hanseth, Dr. Margunn Aanestad

Sammendrag

The research deals with the way information is organized in practice in hospitals when taking care of patients. When a patient is admitted to a hospital until he/she is discharged a large amount of information of different types is produced and stored: some is text descriptions as the notes from a doctor which are stored in the patient record, some are images as x-ray stored in the picture archiving system, some are numeric values as laboratory reports stored in the laboratory systems. The dissertation argues that information is organized according to different coexisting logics of information use.

Specifically, the dissertation studies the information produced and used in the treatment of heart transplant patients before, during, and after the transplant surgery. In this process, information is organized in chronological order. This creates a view on the single patient case and his/her medical history. This logic is evident in the way the electronic and paper-based patient record is organized: if you need to find a document, for instance the report from a visit you need to identify the patient (by name or personal number) and you need to know the date of that visit. A different logic is the one that orders information for type of intervention. For instance all patients undergoing heart transplant surgery. This logic is used often by doctor who need for instance to assess the quality of the heart transplant treatment, or calculate the risk factors or the average age of the patients. In this logic, the single identities of the patients are not relevant, as aggregate data analysis are calculated. I have identified other logics.

The research has been conducted by studying the everyday information practices of nurses, secretaries and doctors, and their use of various information systems. I have identified a number of information systems (both electronic and paper based) that are used in the process of taking care of heart transplant patients. I have discussed how in this process different logics coexist and how to a different extent they are supported, or hindered, by the various information systems in use. This analysis is relevant for questioning the linearity of information flow in patient processes and improving possible interventions.

Summary in Norwegian:

Avhandlingen beskriver hvordan informasjon håndteres i praksis i sykehus. Kandidaten har studert ulike aktører (leger, sekretærer og sykepleiere) fra ulike avdelinger som er involvert før, under og etter hjertetransplantasjoner med fokus på hvordan de samler og bruker informasjon fra en mengde ulike informasjonssystemer. Avhandlingen analyserer spesielt de mange ulike logikkene som styrer organisasjonens informasjonshåndtering. Dette arbeidet kompletterer og kritiserer tidligere måter å forstå informasjonsflyt i prosesser på.

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