Enhancing the person-centered care system through digital communication tools by applying a user-centered approach to a hospital environment

Digital technologies are becoming increasingly common tools in our daily lives. We use it for finding information, but also to communicate with people all over the world. With a vision to strengthen Swedish healthcare's digital resources, Sweden has made major efforts in this area. Improved living conditions have changed the demographic situation as people grow older, which in turn places higher demands on healthcare efficiency. Being able to meet these demands has made digitalization of healthcare increasingly important, but also demonstrating new challenges such as participation, transparency and usability. The purpose of this study has been to investigate if communicative tools can be created to facilitate nurses work with person-centred care and to enhance patients' positive experiences of their own care. The study is based on interviews and observations with nurses working within orthopaedic sections and employees working in facility management as well as administration within the hospital. The results show that digital solutions can be effective tools for enhancing person-centered care, but with automated solutions the physical encounter between nurses and patients can be reduced. The concepts that have been developed are two mobile applications. They were developed with the intention to make it easier for nurses to document and communicate patients' activity and care plans