Extended communication possibilities for nurses: taking context into consideration

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Healthcare Systems Engineering

Background:

• Nurses' communication needs are highly context-dependent.
• Existing hospital communication systems often fail to accommodate the dynamic nature of nursing work.
• Ineffective communication can disrupt patient care and operational efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify challenges in current hospital communication systems for nurses.
• To propose a novel communication system design addressing contextual needs.
• To enhance nurses' ability to manage communication requests effectively.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing participatory design methodology.
• Analysis of communication system issues within a hospital setting.
• Exploration of nurses' experiences in different work contexts.

Main Results:

• Identified significant issues with existing communication systems in accommodating varied nursing contexts.
• Demonstrated the need for a flexible communication system supporting heterogeneous devices.
• Highlighted the importance of context information for managing communication requests.

Conclusions:

• A new communication system design is proposed to support nurses' context-dependent communication needs.
• The system should facilitate initiation and reception of contact requests across diverse devices.
• Integrating context information is crucial for nurses to appropriately manage communication.