Ski hill injuries and ghost charts: Socio-technical issues in achieving e-Health interoperability across jurisdictions

Ellen Balka (), Sandra Whitehouse, Shannon T. Coates and Dug Andrusiek
Additional contact information
Ellen Balka: Simon Fraser University
Sandra Whitehouse: BC Children’s Hospital
Shannon T. Coates: Simon Fraser University Surrey
Dug Andrusiek: University of British Columbia

Information Systems Frontiers, 2012, vol. 14, issue 1, No 3, 19-42

Abstract: Abstract This paper looks at the challenges associated with consolidating and leveraging patient information recorded at various points in a distributed, multi-jurisdictional health care system. We draw on insights from two ethnographic case studies to illuminate varied issues related to interoperability of information management systems. Our first case study is an investigation of duplicate medical charts which exist in several ambulatory care clinics located on the same campus at an acute care hospital. The second case study is an ongoing exploratory project intended to develop an understanding of information collection, storage and handover procedures in the pre-hospital care chain, a health care domain that includes varied actors and organizations with different information needs. Whereas findings from our case studies show that achievement of interoperability will be difficult, our analysis suggests ways to begin to overcome these challenges.

Keywords: Socio-technical issues; Interoperability; Handovers in care; Data handovers; Ghost charts; Shadow records; Duplicate medical charts; Electronic health records; Interoperability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10796-011-9302-4

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