Puslespill med myke brikker? : Integrasjon av bildeproduksjon i RIS/PACS ved UUS 1999-2003

Abstract

An international project aiming at the integration of heterogeneous components into an information infrastructure for a radiology department was studied using an interpretative case study approach. The main goal of the study was to obtain insight into the processes, problems and solutions encountered in the project. The subgoals were to elicit the role of standards and commercial of the shelf subsystems (COTS) in the expansion of a socio-technical information infrastructure.

The empirical material was structured according to a layered model of system integration. The installed base, the processes and the resulting product of the project were described for each layer. The study covers a broad selection of problems and solution strategies.

Discussing the project, I first develop a "Puzzle with soft pieces" as a metaphor for the integration. I use the metaphor to approach a range of fundamental problems inherent in the integration of standardized albeit heterogeneous components in an organisational context. Then I discuss how the socio technical actors interact in a number of interconnected vicious cycles aggravating the project s problems. Finally I discuss how different forms of flexibility were applied in the project. The roles of COTS and the DICOM standard were discussed in terms of how they affected flexibility.