Information needs in day-to-day operations management in hospital units: A cross-sectional national survey

Abstract

Aim To describe and compare shift leaders’ important information needs by profession, unit, time of day and type of hospital. Background Professionals responsible for care provision in hospital units make ad hoc decisions about available resources to meet patient care needs but, currently, much effort is needed to obtain the necessary information to support decision making. Methods This survey was carried out in nine randomly chosen hospitals in Finland. Nurses and physicians responsible for day‐to‐day operations were eligible to participate (N = 873). The response rate was 65% (n = 570, including 453 nurses and 111 physicians). Data were collected in 2015–2016 using the Hospital Shift Leaders’ Information Needs Questionnaire with 114 information need items. Results Shift leaders reported many real‐time information needs. Nurses’ important information needs concerned patients, personnel, and materials, and physicians’ needs focused on patient care. Large mean differences existed in the needs between nurses and physicians, and imaging units when compared to other units. Conclusion Real‐time information systems for shift leaders should consider the needs of different users to support shared situational awareness and operational intelligence. Implications for nursing management The important information‐need items identified here may be used in designing and developing information systems that better support shift leaders’ work in hospitals.

Identifying nurse managers' essential information needs in daily unit operation in perioperative settings

“…In a later phase, the knowledge map can support the evaluation of hospital performance by indicating the outcomes that should be evaluated in daily care (Markazi‐Moghaddam et al, ). Based on our prior knowledge, instruments have been developed to measure the information needs of nurse managers in acute healthcare settings but not in operating departments and day surgery units (Lundgrén‐Laine et al, ; Peltonen, Siirala, et al, ). This study identified nurse managers' essential information needs in daily unit operation in perioperative settings.…”

Nurses' Utilization of Information Resources for Patient Care Tasks

“…18 The question of whether nurses' informationseeking behavior differs from other healthcare professionals has been raised before and yielded conflicting results. 16,[19][20][21][22] Many have found that there is a significant overlap in the types of information nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, and medical doctors utilize, including information related to patient diagnosis, drugs, treatment, therapy, patient data, education material and instructions for patient, and information about other healthcare providers (eg, when to seek advice). 16,22 Gschwandtner et al 20 found a notable difference between nurses and medical doctors, that nurses were unique in looking for additional information on psychosocial support of patients.…”

Sairaalan reaaliaikainen tilannekuva päivittäisessä johtamisessa

“…Terveydenhuollossa syntyvää tietoa hyödynnetään johtamisen eri tasoilla. Laajoja tietovarantoja voidaan käyttää visiointiin, strategiseen ja operatiiviseen johtamiseen [14]. Tiedonhallinnalla tarkoitetaan tiedon tuottamista, esittämistä, tiedon varastoimista ja siirtoa, sekä tiedon soveltamista ja käyttöä organisaation eri tasoilla ja eri tarkoituksissa [15].…”