Social systems and codes of communication in the health system – an empirical study of the communication of hospital personnel during the implementation of an electronic patient record

Abstract

The point of departure is an empirical study of communication on hospital wards during the implementations of a new media of communication – an electronic patient record (EPR). The implementation of the EPR illustrates, that the chosen code of communication is of great importance in determining weather communication is successful. According to Niklas Luhmann the binary code sick/healthy is guiding the communication in the health system. However, in this paper it is argued that today the health system is made up of several sub-systems, each with their own distinctive code of communication.