The functioning or malfunctioning of the ICT tools of health personnel has a direct influence both on the quality of care and the quality of the personnel’s working environment on short and long term. However, the consequences of digitalization in the health sector is a neglected research area, and, in particular, a gender perspective is missing. The aim of the DISA project is to contribute to this research area with different theoretical perspectives and to create a framework for decision support when new ICT solutions are to be implemented in healthcare, in particular to facilitate nurses’ work.

The project has two work packages, which investigate the experiences and perceptions of digitalization by nurses and other stakeholders, respectively. Other stakeholders include politicians responsible for healthcare, healthcare managers, ICT systemdevelopers and patients.

The main research question is how digitalisation has influenced nurses’ stress and wellbeing, their control over their work situation and communication with patients and the quality of health care services. This question will be researched keeping the gendering of the healthcare organization as well as the gendering of technology in mind.

The empirical material will be collected by interviews, participant observation and surveys. A third work package will result in a synthesis of earlier research and our study, where we iteratively in collaboration with stakeholders in health care will create a conceptual framework to describe and understand the effects of digitalization on the work environment. This framework will offer a tool to be used when new ICT systems are implemented.

The project group is transdisciplinary. The researchers have extensive experience of work life studies, human-computer interaction and gender studies. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Uppsala County Council and its nurses, managers and IT staff.

In the DISA project a number of studies on Journalen has been carried out, as well as other studies.