Abstract
Most hospital-based staff can be considered to be mobile but many hospital information systems (HIS) are based on fixed desk top computers. Wireless networks allow HIS to be brought to the point of care using mobile devices such as laptops on trolleys thus providing data which can aid in clinical decision-making. The research objective of this project focusses on the collaborative design of a laptop solution for providing data at the point of care. The research approach was based on a combination of action research and design science. Action research techniques including participant observation and informal one-to-one discussions were used to obtain information that was used to evolve the trolley design as a design artefact while addressing usability limitations. This paper presents three versions of the trolley design and how they evolved based on the feedback provided to the researchers from clinical use. Also these results show that using iterative action research techniques (planning, action, evaluation and reflection) in collaborative research can provide productive outcomes addressing a specific design objective within an acute care setting.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dawson, L., Fisher, J., and Heslop, L., Investigating the potential improvement of patient management systems in hospital ward settings using mobile, wireless technologies. In: First European Conference on Mobile Government, Brighton, UK, 2005.
Timmons, S., Nurses resisting information technology. Nursing Enquiry 10(4):257–269, 2003.
McAlearney, A. S., Schweikhart, S. B., and Medow, M. A., Doctors' experience with handheld computers in clinical practice: qualitative study. British Medical Journal 328:1162–1166, 2004.
Dawson, L., Fisher, J., Weeding, S., Heslop, L., and Howard, A., Action Research in Emerging Technologies in Health Information Systems: Creating a Mobile Information Environment in a Hospital Ward. 8th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies:127–135, 2009.
Anderson, J., Clearing the way for physicians' use of clinical information systems. Commun. ACM 40(8):83–90, 1997.
Ward, R., Stevens, C., Brentnall, P., and Briddon, J., The attitudes of health care staff to information technology: a comprehensive review of the research literature. Health Info. Libr. J. 25(2):81–97, 2008. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2008.00777.x.
Poon, E. G., Gandhi, T. K., Sequist, T. D., Murff, H. J., Karson, A. S., and Bates, D. W., "I wish i had seen this test result earlier!" Dissatisfaction with test result management systems in primary care. Arch. Intern. Med. 164:2223–2228, 2004.
Rowe, I., and Brimacombe, P., Integrated care information technology. The New Zealand Medical Journal 116(1169), 2003.
McShea, M., Holl, R., Badawi, O., Riker, R. R., and Silfen, E., The eICU research institute - a collaboration between industry, health-care providers, and academia. IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Mag. 29(2):18–25, 2010. doi:10.1109/MEMB.2009.935720.
Fernando, J. I., and Dawson, L. L., The health information system security threat lifecycle: An informatics theory. International Journal of Medical Informatics 78(12):815–826, 2009.
Fernando, J., and Dawson, L., Clinician assessments of workplace security training-an informatics perspective. Electronic Journal of Health Informatics 3(1):e7, 2008.
Carlson, E., Catrambone, C., Oder, K., Nauseda, S., Fogg, L., Garcia, B., Brown, F. M., Jr., Johnson, M. E., Johnson, T. J., and Llewellyn, J., Point-of-care technology supports bedside documentation. J. Nurs. Adm. 40(9):360–365, 2010. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e3181ee4248.
Norman, D. A., THE WAY I SEE IT: A fetish for numbers. Interactions 15(2):14–15, 2008. doi:10.1145/1340961.1340965.
Pettus, D., Mobile medical device connectivity: real world solutions. Conf. Proc. IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Soc. 5:3450–3451, 2004. doi:10.1109/IEMBS.2004.1403968.
Yoshihiro, A., Nakata, N., Harada, J., and Tada, S., Wireless local area networking for linking a PC reporting system and PACS: clinical feasibility in emergency reporting. Radiographics 22(3):721–728, 2002.
De Leonardis, R., Sansotta, C., Testagrossa, B., Ferlazzo, M., Vermiglio, G., and Faranda, C., Wired and wireless network solution for the integrated management of data and images. Radiol. Med. 104(3):194–202, 2002.
Lee, H. J., Lee, K. H., Hwang, S. I., Kim, H. C., Seo, E. H., Kim, T. G., and Ha, K. S., The effect of wireless LAN-based PACS device for portable imaging modalities. J. Digit Imaging 23(2):185–191, 2010. doi:10.1007/s10278-008-9174-4.
Lou, E., Fedorak, M. V., Hill, D. L., Raso, J. V., Moreau, M. J., and Mahood, J. K., Bluetooth wireless database for scoliosis clinics. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 41(3):346–349, 2003.
Heslop, L., Weeding, S., Dawson, L., Fisher, J., and Howard, A., Implementation issues for mobile-wireless infrastructure and mobile health care computing devices for a hospital ward setting. J. Med. Syst. 34(4):509–518, 2010. doi:10.1007/s10916-009-9264-y.
Avison, D., Lau, F., Myers, M., and Nielsen, P. A., Action research. Commun. ACM 42(1):94–97, 1999.
Baskerville, R. L., and Wood-Harper, A. T., A critical perspective on action research as a method for information systems research. J. Inf. Technol. 11(3):235–246, 1996.
Susman, G. I., Action Research. A Sociotechnical Systems Perspective. In: Morgan, G. (Ed.), Beyond Method: Strategies for Social Research. Sage, Newbury Park, pp. 95–113, 1983.
Gregor, S., and Hevner, A. R., Introduction to the special issue on design science. Inf. Syst. E-Bus Manag. 9(1):1–9, 2011. doi:10.1007/S10257-010-0159-8.
van Aken, J. E., Design science and organization development interventions. J. Appl. Behav. Sci. 43(1):67–88, 2007. doi:10.1177/0021886306297761.
Hevner, A. R., March, S. T., Park, J., and Ram, S., Design science in information systems research. Mis. Quart 28(1):75–105, 2004.
Acknowledgements
This research was part of a larger project supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) - Project ID: LP0455331. Partners for this grant were the Australian Research Council (ARC), Monash University, Southern Health, and NEC Business Solutions Pty Ltd. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the other members of the overarching ARC research team, Associate Professor Liza Heslop (Victoria University), Professor Julie Fisher (Monash University) and Dr Andrew Howard (formerly of NEC). The authors also wish to acknowledge the contribution of Ms Lyn Wallace and Mr David Ramsay from Southern Health’s Monash Medical Centre (MMC) and staff from NEC who provided valuable and ongoing support to this project.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weeding, S., Dawson, L. Laptops on Trolleys: Lessons from a Mobile-Wireless Hospital Ward. J Med Syst 36, 3933–3943 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-012-9865-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-012-9865-8