Data work and practices in healthcare: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Health Services Research
• Data Science in Medicine

Background:

• Healthcare is increasingly digitized, generating large volumes of data.
• Ambitions exist for data-driven healthcare to enhance efficiency, quality, diagnostics, and treatment.
• The human labor involved in data generation and processing is often unrecognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nature of data work in healthcare: who performs it, where, how, and for what purposes.
• To provide an overview of existing research on data work and practices in healthcare.
• To guide healthcare managers and policymakers in achieving data-driven goals.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases.
• Searches combined terms like 'healthcare' with 'data work', 'data worker*', 'data practice*', or 'data practitioner*'.
• 74 relevant papers were included and analyzed thematically.

Main Results:

• Data work is widespread in healthcare, involving diverse professions and contexts.
• The research field for data work and practices in healthcare is emerging and fragmented.
• There is a need for clearer definitions of data work, though the concepts are valuable for detailed analysis.

Conclusions:

• Research on data work and practices in healthcare is nascent but promising.
• Further research is needed to consolidate the field.
• Understanding and supporting data work is crucial for realizing data-driven healthcare.