The effectiveness of digital information systems in healthcare on staff and patients: a scoping review from a nursing perspective

Authors

• Ella Valkeapää Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
• Laura-Maria Peltonen Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.110621

Keywords:

information systems, healthcare, nursing, patients, review

Abstract

The aim of this scoping review was to gather evidence about the effectiveness of digital information systems on nursing staff and patient outcomes. Inclusion criteria were: information system used in clinical work and covers quality, satisfaction, efficiency, patient outcomes, work processes and costs. Exclusion criteria were: barcode scanning, managerial information systems, mobile devices, artificial intelligence, alert systems, internet of things and robotics. Four databases were searched: CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, PubMed and the Web of Science. The search resulted in 2400 articles of which 16 were included in the review. Included studies were published between the years 1995–2020.The Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal tools were used for quality evaluation. The results were analyzed with deductive content analysis.

Four of the included studies had experimental design and 12 had quasi-experimental design. Quality scores of reported studies were mainly mediocre. The studied digital information systems were categorized as patient record, medication process, health data automation and patient portal. The most studied systems were patient records. Systems mainly focused on a limited part of the medication process and digital nursing documentation. Most studies compared digital information systems to paper-based systems. Data were obtained with questionnaires and by time and motion analysis. Regarding staff outcomes, most studies covered the use of working time and job satisfaction. These outcomes showed inconclusive results. Patient outcomes weren`t studied at length and some studies showed positive while others showed negative outcomes.

Based on the findings of this review, the evidence of the effectiveness of information systems on staff and patient outcomes is scarce and the terminology and definitions of the systems is inconsistent. More evidence is needed to show the effectiveness of digital information systems on patient outcomes.