Researchers follow IT project at Visby Hospital

Visby hospital will introduce a PDMS. All technical equipment will be able to communicate and deliver data to a single system.

Visby Hospital will introduce a Patient Data Management System (PDMS). This entails total digitalisation of information management in anaesthesia, surgery, post-operative care and intensive care. All technical equipment will be able to communicate and deliver data to a single system.

A business system for intensive care

Pär Ågerfalk is Professor of Information Systems at Uppsala University and lead researcher in the new collaborative project that will study the implementation of PDMS at Visby Hospital. According to Pär Ågerfalk, it can be compared to a classic business system in companies, but adapted for intensive care.

– There are many different technical systems in use in intensive care. The patient is connected to these for purposes such as measuring blood pressure, oxygenation, and more. The problem is that the systems are not integrated; many need to be read manually. The aim of PDMS is to replace all manual handling, he says.

In addition to Region Gotland, the project also include Region Stockholm, which will introduce the same system at the major hospitals in the region. 

The system will minimise the risk of errors

The overall goal of introducing a Patient Data Management System is to create safer healthcare processes. An integrated IT system should help by minimising the risk of errors, thereby contributing to increased safety for patients. For the researchers at Uppsala University, the project is also interesting from a broader perspective.

– We are interested in the actual implementation processes in healthcare. We are looking at what makes implementation successful or unsuccessful, and are working to develop research models around this, says Pär Ågerfalk.

The idea is that the models can be applied and used by more hospitals in Sweden in the future. 

Experiences from Uppsala University Hospital

Lessons learned from a similar digitalisation project at Uppsala University Hospital will be applied. The researchers will look at similarities and differences between the two hospitals, and also at the collaboration with the hospitals in Stockholm.

– Certain types of care are only provided in Stockholm, and patients may need to be transported from Gotland. This always presents challenges, but at the same time new opportunities if the same IT systems can be used.

Implies changes in routines

Another key issue is how users perceive the introduction of new IT systems, which always involves changes in work routines. Previous research has shown that it is important to reach a routine stage quickly.

– It is only when routine use is reached that the real operational benefits of the new IT system emerge. It is therefore particularly interesting to study the processes involved in getting there, says Pär Ågerfalk. 

To begin with, the project will conduct in-depth interviews with employees at Visby Hospital to map their needs. The collaborative project runs until November 2022, but Pär Ågerfalk hopes that the project will receive additional funding to follow the process through to implementation, which is expected to be completed in 2025.