Homecare, emergency medical team and emergency department professionals´ perspectives on patient safety in health information exchange:

A descriptive qualitative study of socio-technical factors

Authors

• Piia Hyvämäki Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), University of Oulu; Oulu University of Applied Sciences
• Henna Härkönen Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), University of Oulu; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-9392
• Maria Kääriäinen Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), University of Oulu; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu; North Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county; The Finnish Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care: A Joanna Briggs Institute Excellence Group https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8295-8172
• Minna Pikkarainen Department for Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology & Department of Product Design Oslomet, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4516-6584
• Miia Jansson Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), University of Oulu; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu; RMIT University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5815-0325

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.162926

Keywords:

Health information exchange, health informatics, patient safety

Abstract

Health information exchange plays a critical role in modern healthcare delivery, especially in complex inter-organizational care pathways. This study describes healthcare professionals’ perspectives on patient safety in health information exchange, with a focus on associated socio-technical factors. In 2023, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 healthcare professionals from home care, the emergency department, and an emergency medical team in one wellbeing services county in Finland, using a modified socio-technical model. Data were analyzed through content analysis, revealing 31 generic categories and 79 subcategories aligned with the model’s eight dimensions.

Findings emphasize the crucial role of organizational factors, including insufficient information infrastructure, lack of unified systems, and poor integration. Additionally, user-centered design and support during health information exchange development and health information technology procurement are lacking. Inter-organizational collaboration is inconsistent, and safety monitoring remains inadequate.