Platt, Nicola and Tarafdar, Monideepa and Williams, Richard (2019) The complementary roles of Health Information Systems and Relational Coordination in alcohol care pathways : The case of a UK hospital. In: Proceedings of the 27th European Conference on Information Systems : ECIS 2019. AIS Electronic Library. ISBN 9781733632508
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Abstract
Effective information exchange between multidisciplinary teams is crucial for coordinated patient care. Patients with alcohol use disorder pose particular care challenges because of the high probability of comorbidities, recurrent hospital admissions, poor patient outcomes and high costs to the health service. Consequently, effective information exchange is essential. The use of Health Information Systems (HIS) can enhance the exchange of structured clinical information within and among healthcare facilities. However, their use needs to be complemented with structural coordination mechanisms. This research-in-progress paper reports on research currently underway in a UK hospital, where alcohol use disorder is a key healthcare priority. Drawing from the concept of relational coordination as the theoretical lens, we examine the complementary roles of use of HIS by, and relational coordination among, healthcare professionals in facilitating data flow and information exchange between teams within an integrated alcohol care pathway. The study contributes to the growing stream of IS research that focuses on the use of HIS for particular healthcare conditions.