Developing an Information System for Nursing in Acute Care Contexts

The objective of this study, which is part of a wider longitudinal research project, was to assess the fidelity and feasibility of a NIS for acute care contexts. In order to do this, principles of design science research and user-centred design were drawn upon. The stages of the study discussed in this paper involved nurses as the intended users and evaluated the system at two early stages of development; user acceptance of the concept and testing of the prototype using simulation. Analyses of data collected in the early stages of the research highlight the importance of nurses’ involvement during system development to ensure fidelity for nursing work. Findings from this research provide suggestions about the potential for the NIS to improve nurses work processes and factors likely to impact the usability and acceptability of the system for nursing work. In addition, the need for co-evaluation of both the problem space as well as solution space in design science is confirmed. Face validity of the solution has been established. In addition, lessons have been incorporated into the refinement of the tool and will be evaluated in a large scale clinical trial which will involve multiple hospitals.