Supervisors in the doctoral work
Main supervisor:
- Professor Mariann Fossum, Department of Health and Nursing Science, University of Agder
Co-supervisors:
- Special adviser Merete Lyngstad, Norwegian Nurses´ Association
- Department manager Ann Kristin Rotegård, Cappelen Damm
Summary of thesis
Poor systems result in poorer dementia care
Good communication and information exchange are important in healthcare, especially for people with dementia. They have poorer capabilities to convey information to nurses about their own condition, making it extra important to document in the Electronic Health Record (EHR). The health record should facilitate communication among healthcare professionals and contain necessary health information about the patient.
The EHR is used daily in the healthcare services worldwide to collect, store, organize, and distribute patient information. As workloads and patient transfers increase in our healthcare services, nurses and other healthcare professionals increasingly rely on information from EHRs in daily planning and organizing of healthcare.
I have examined the use of EHRs in nursing homes. I knew beforehand that there is little knowledge about planning and documentation processes among nurses working with this type of patients. Additionally, there is little knowledge about the interaction and interplay between nurses, daily work processes, the environment, and the EHR.
I found that psychosocial needs, such as identity, comfort, inclusion, belonging, and meaningful activity, are lacking in planning and documentation. Nurses find this challenging. Moreover, the patient's own experiences are not commonly a part of planning and documentation. My findings also show that the usability of the EHR is challenging for nurses' daily work and that there is a need to increase nurses' knowledge about technology and informatics.
My PhD project can provide valuable insights into planning and documentation processes in EHRs in dementia care. Especially considering design and development of future EHRs.
About Lene
Lene Baagøe Laukvik is from Kristiansand and has worked as a nurse since 1996. In 2011, she pursued further education in practical pedagogical training at the University of Agder (UiA) and continued with a master's degree in health sciences at UiA, which she completed in 2014.
She has extensive experience as a nurse in various departments at Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital and Sørlandet Hospital. In 2009, she started working at Færvik Residential and Care Centre, in a sheltered unit for people with dementia.
She is currently teaching in the bachelor's programme in nursing at UiA, as well as in continuing and further education in dementia care. Lene has been following the PhD programme at the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences at Agder. Her doctoral work has been funded by the Norwegian Nurses Organisation.