Electronic medication administration record (eMAR) in Swedish home healthcare—Implications for Nurses' and nurse Assistants' Work environment: A qualitative study
2024 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, ISSN 0283-9318, E-ISSN 1471-6712, Vol. 38, no 2, p. 347-357Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: The electronic medication administration record (eMAR) is an eHealth system that has replaced the traditional paper-based medication administration used in many healthcare settings. Research has highlighted that eHealth technologies can change working methods and professional roles in both expected and unexpected ways. To date, there is sparse research that has explored how nurses and nurse assistants (NA) in home healthcare experience eMAR in relation to their work environment. Aim: The aim was to explore how nurses and nurse assistants experienced their work environment, in terms of job-demand, control, and support in a Swedish home healthcare setting where an electronic medication administration record had been implemented to facilitate delegation of medical administration. Method: We took a qualitative approach, where focus groups were used as data collection method. The focus groups included 16 nurses and nine NAs employed in a Swedish municipality where an eMAR had been implemented 6 months before the first focus groups were performed. The analysis adapted the job-demand-control-support model, by condensing the professionals' experiences into the three categories of demand, control, and support, in alignment with the model. Results: NAs experienced high levels of job demand and low levels of job control. The use of the eMAR limited NAs' ability to control their work, in terms of priorities, content, and timing. In contrast, the nurses described demands as high but manageable, and described having a high level of control. Both professions found the eMar supportive. Conclusion: Nurses and NAs in home healthcare experienced changes in their work environment regarding demand, control, and support when an eMAR was implemented to facilitate delegation of medical administration. In general, nurses were satisfied with the eMAR. However, NAs felt that the eMAR did not cover all aspects of their daily work. Healthcare organisations should be aware of the changes that digitalisation processes entail in the work environment of nurses and NAs in home healthcare. © 2024 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2024. Vol. 38, no 2, p. 347-357
Keywords [en]
digital technology, eHealth, eMAR, home healthcare, JDCS model, job-demand-control-support model, nurse assistant, nursing, qualitative, work environment
National Category
Nursing
Research subject
Health Innovation, IDC
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-52590DOI: 10.1111/scs.13237ISI: 001145942500001PubMedID: 38243649Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85182821967OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-52590DiVA, id: diva2:1836359
Note
Funding: Open access funding provided by Halmstad University. The funders for this study are Kungsbacka municipality and Halmstad University.
2024-02-082024-02-082024-06-26Bibliographically approved