Interpretive Flexibility Along the Innovation Decision Process of the UK NHS Care Records Service (NCRS)

Anastasia Papazafeiropoulou, Reshma Gandecha
2007 International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction  
Papazafeiropoulou, Anastasia, Brunel University, School of information systems computing and mathematics, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK, anastasia.papazafeiropoulou@brunel.ac.uk Gandecha, Reshma, Brunel University, School of information systems computing and mathematics, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK, reshma.gandecha@brunel.ac.uk Abstract Interpretive flexibility is a term used to describe the diverse perspectives on what a technology is and can or can not do during the process of technological development. In
more » ... this paper we look at how interpretive flexibility manifests through the diverse perceptions of stakeholders involved in the diffusion and adoption of the NHS Care Records Service (NCRS). Our analysis shows that while the policy makers acting upon the application of details related to the implementation of the system, the potential users are far behind the innovation decision process namely at the knowledge or persuasion stages. We use data from a local heath authority from a county close to London. The research explores compares and evaluates contrasting views on the systems implementation at local as well as national level. We believe that our analysis is useful for NCRS implementation strategies in particular and technology diffusion in big organisations in general.  incomplete patient information  unavailable drug information  miscommunication of drug orders due to poor handwriting, similar name drugs, misuse of zeroes and decimal points, confusion of metric and other dosing units, and inappropriate abbreviations  lack of appropriate labelling  Environmental factors, such as lighting, heat, noise, and interruptions that can distract health professionals from their medical tasks.
doi:10.4018/jthi.2007040101 fatcat:vc5zlp7do5euxc7rlzy35ecivy