Problems encountered in integrated care records research

This article looks at the need for integrated care records (ICRs) that are ‘fitfor-purpose’ and how this can be facilitated by data about what are glossed as ‘social factors’. Social factors, while increasingly considered in systems design, also need to be considered in the implementation, change management and benefits realization that are part of the work of ICR programmes such as the NHS Care Records Service. It is suggested that ICRs will not be properly fit-for-purpose unless social factors have been built into all aspects of ICR programmes. It is further argued that fit-for-purpose ICRs should be understood as ICR technologies that are ‘ready-to-hand’, that is, appropriate and usable. Following a brief description of ICRs, the focus is on the problem of fitness-for-purpose, and the role of ready-to-hand research, models, data collection and data representation formats in achieving fit-for-purpose ICRs. These issues are illustrated from both the extant literature and practical experience.

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