The project studies the effect of digitisation in an emergency department from multiple perspectives. The project will map how patients find their way to the emergency department in different ways, and will investigate how the introduction of new digital solutions impacts patients and staff.

The load on the country's emergency departments is increasing. Large patient flows lead to long waiting times or may create “crowding”, i.e. when many patients stay at the same time in the emergency department. There are several reasons for this and they are often linked to the inflow, throughput and outflow of patients.

Digitisation of healthcare can increase the possibility of using healthcare resources as efficiently as possible. WHO says that digitisation can radically change the results in healthcare, if the investments are implemented in an appropriate way. To make this possible, more knowledge is needed about how digital solutions affect care, patients and staff when they are introduced. We also need to consider people who do not have the opportunity to use digital options.

Understanding positive and negative effects 

The project will look at how patients and staff can receive support through digital tools before and in connection with an emergency visit. How do patients experience quality of care? How is the work environment affected by introducing more digital solutions? What challenges and opportunities exist in the use of digital support and in the implementation itself?

The project is conducted together with the emergency department at Skaraborg Hospital. By understanding the positive and negative effects of digitalisation more thoroughly, knowledge can be developed how to digitalise health care in a sustainable way.

Several sub-studies

The project forms part of doctoral research and consists of several sub-studies. The first sub-studies aim to describe how information was obtained and how information and other support helped patients/guardians in the decision-making process before seeking emergency care.

The sub-studies will also describe patients’ use of and the impact of digital support.

The studies will consist partly of a qualitative interview study with patients at the emergency department at Skaraborg Hospital. A quantitative survey study with patients at the emergency department at Skaraborg Hospital will also be included.

The survey will be developed with support from the results of the interview study. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of how information was obtained and how it helped patients/guardians in the decision-making process.

An intervention study at the emergency department at Skaraborg Hospital will also be included. This will take the form of action research and will be designed together with the organisation when they implement digital tools. The study will analyse and explore challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of digital tools in emergency healthcare.