Changes in nurses' work associated with computerised information systems: Opportunities for international comparative...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Nursing Research
• Global Health

Background:

• Clinical information systems (CIS) can alter healthcare work patterns and communication.
• Concerns exist that CIS may reduce nurses' direct patient care time.
• Measuring CIS impact on work is challenging due to non-standardized tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Work Observation Method by Activity Time (WOMBAT) technique version 1.0.
• To introduce WOMBAT version 2.0, developed for international comparative studies.
• To facilitate standardized measurement of health professionals' work related to CIS.

Main Methods:

• Description of the WOMBAT technique for observing and recording health professionals' work activities.
• Details on the development of WOMBAT version 2.0 in 2011.
• Focus on WOMBAT's utility in capturing different aspects of work.

Main Results:

• WOMBAT version 1.0 provides data on health professionals' work aspects.
• WOMBAT version 2.0 enhances usability for international research teams.
• The revised version facilitates cross-country comparisons of nursing work.

Conclusions:

• WOMBAT offers a standardized method for studying health informatics' impact on work.
• WOMBAT version 2.0 enables international comparative research on nursing work.
• Standardized tools are essential for understanding how systems affect patient care.