Hospitality and hostility in hospitals: a case study of an EPR adoption among surgeons

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the adoption of healthcare information systems (HIS) from a user perspective. Our case study concerns how a group of orthopaedic surgeons experienced and reacted to the adoption and mandatory use of an Electronic Patient Record system in a Danish hospital. We propose to use the concepts of hospitality and hostility to turn our attention to the interaction between the host (the surgeons) and the guest (the information system) and consider how the boundaries between them evolved in the everyday work practices. As an alternative to previous studies on technology adoption, these concepts help us appreciate and put special emphasis on particular aspects of the adoption process: the mutual and co-constitutive relationship between the users and the technology and the continued co-existence of both positive and negative attitudes among the users. The findings suggest an alternative way of thinking about an adoption process that is considered relevant to managers who strive to ensure successful adoption of HIS.