Abstract
New health reforms and an increasing demand for quality and effectiveness have put pressure on the health care sector to offer the latest and best treatments. At the same time, many of these new treatments are so radically different from existing ones that they pose a challenge to the existing social relations and medical practises. Current research has recognized an increasing need for learning and innovation in health care to overcome boundaries impeding the diffusion of innovations. Hence there is a need to identify what challenges that may arise when introducing a new practice into health care.
Consequently, the purpose of this project is to shed light on the following two research questions:
1. What challenges may one face when introducing a new clinical practice in a hospital?
2. To what extent do actors have a common interpretation of the challenges they face when introducing a new practice?
To obtain research material, a case study was conducted at a surgical department in a Norwegian hospital where a new surgical technique, colon laparoscopy, was introduced. The study is based on interviews and observation of the staff.
The research material obtained suggests that introducing a new practice may increase tensions between different professional groups. However, this relates to various aspects, such as the actors presumptions about the benefit of the practice, the distribution of power and the existing power relations in the organization as well as the management s degree of involvement and interest in the practice. Consequently, this study offers insights into the complex processes involved in introducing a new practice in health care organizations.
The project was financed by a grant from UNIFOR trust foundation.