Designing healthcare systems with an emphasis on relational quality and peace of mind

In this paper we explore the challenges and opportunities of designing information systems in healthcare with an emphasis on informational needs of family caregivers and work practices of professionals. We focus particularly on the context of Nursing Homes (NH), where family members and care professionals are often faced with challenging situations that can affect their ability to communicate and collaborate effectively, and thus, leading to the episodes of conflicts or mismatch of expectations. We report on two sets of user studies with staff and residents’ family members in four nursing homes, studying current information practices, factors that influence them, and explore design alternatives that could target identified issues.