End-user perceptions of a computerized medication system: is there resistance to change?

Public mandate to control cost, while improving quality of service, leads health care administrators to look to information technology for innovative solutions. This case study of acute care registered nurses in a public hospital focuses on experiences of the end-users of a computerized medication system. Data was obtained by in-depth interviews and observation performed in the clinical setting. Findings fell into five challenging issues to the end-user and health care administration: end-user perceptions of inadequate training, negative experiences of implementation, perceived deficiencies in quality of technology, perceptions of lack of participatory design and a ensuing circumvention of the new system. Emphasis is on the relationship of the findings to the quality of public health care administration.