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Using Actor-Network Theory to Study
Health Information Technology
Interventions
Kathrin CRESSWELL a,1
a
Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, The University of
Edinburgh, UK
Abstract. This chapter introduces Actor-Network Theory, a sociotechnical
approach to studying health information technology implementation. The chapter is
intended as a pragmatic introduction to the field, acknowledging that there are many
contested features of an Actor-Network Theory informed methodology.
Nevertheless, the approach can be usefully drawn on to help to focus data collection
and sampling. A case study describing the application of Actor-Network Theory to
study the “failed” implementation of national electronic health records in England
as part of a national “top-down” implementation program illustrates the main tenets
of the approach and provides concrete examples of how Actor-Network Theory may
be applied. In doing so, this chapter offers a reflexive account of how Actor-
Network Theory has provided a nuanced analysis of how the implementation of
national electronic health records affected different stakeholders, organizations and
technology.
Keywords. Sociotechnical, Actor-Network Theory, Health Information
Technology
Learning objectives
After reading this chapter the reader will be able to:
1. Describe the basics of Actor-Network Theory
2. Pragmatically apply Actor-Network Theory-based approaches to health
informatics evaluations
3. Critically evaluate the various assumptions comprised within the Actor-Network
Theory-based approach and draw on these for applied use in healthcare settings
1. Introduction to sociotechnical perspectives and Actor-Network Theory
1.1. Sociotechnical approaches to studying technology implementation
The concept of sociotechnical systems 2
emerged from the study of organizational
behavior and workplace safety in 1950s studies of English coalmine workers.
The central assumption of sociotechnical approaches is that social and technical
dimensions are intimately intertwined and need to be considered together when exploring
1
Corresponding Author, Kathrin Cresswell, E-mail: Kathrin.Cresswell@ed.ac.uk
2
See also Chapter 7, “Distributed Cognition: understanding complex sociotechnical informatics”.
Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
P. Scott et al. (Eds.)
© 2019 The authors and IOS Press.
This article is published online with Open Access by IOS Press and distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0).
doi:10.3233/SHTI190114 87
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book Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics - Knowledge Base for Practitioners"
Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
Knowledge Base for Practitioners
- Title
- Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
- Subtitle
- Knowledge Base for Practitioners
- Authors
- Philip Scott
- Nicolette de Keizer
- Andrew Georgiou
- Publisher
- IOS Press BV
- Location
- Amsterdam
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-1-61499-991-1
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 242
- Category
- Informatik