Emotional and Psychological Safety in Healthcare Digitalization: A Design Ethnographic Study.

Objectives: Emotional and psychological safety is important during the use of digital technologies in healthcare. We aimed to gain comprehensive insight into needs, influencing factors and outcomes in the context of perceived safety and digital technologies in healthcare. Methods: We employed a participatory, design ethnographic research approach with 16 participants in 10 use cases. The methods included in an iterative process were, think-aloud, guideline-based interviews, process mapping, storyboard creation, and photo documentation. A qualitative, primarily inductive data analysis and synthesis was performed. Results: Perceived safety is influenced by various factors and unmet needs. Increased perceived safety can positively support the use of digital technologies, whereas low perceived safety can limit or even hinder its use. Conclusion: The needs of the different target groups should be considered throughout the entire process of digital technology development and healthcare provision to support their implementation. These findings support further research by providing specific aspects of emotional and psychological safety regarding target groups, settings, and ages and those with different levels of affinity for digital technologies.

Emotional and psychological safety in the context of digital transformation in healthcare: a mixed-method strategic foresight study.

BACKGROUND: Perceived safety has received attention in the digital transformation of healthcare. However, the impact of perceived safety on the future of digital transformation has not been fully elucidated. AIM: To investigate perceived safety in the context of the digital transformation of healthcare while considering relevant needs, influencing factors and impacts, including crisis events, to provide recommendations for action based on a participatory, multiperspective, strategic 5-year foresight viewpoint. METHODS: A strategic foresight study is conducted via a participatory mixed-methods design to understand the present related factors that are likely to be relevant to future developments in the digital transformation of healthcare. RESULTS: We observed that feeling safe plays a complex role in the digital transformation of healthcare. How perceived safety is considered has and will continue to impact the individual, organisational and system levels. Regarding a potential crisis event, controversial consequences have been observed. At its core, digital (health) literacy related to equity of access and human support is one of the crucial aspects in the context of perceived safety related to the successful implementation of digital technologies in healthcare. CONCLUSIONS: The scenarios showed that a continuation of the current situation over the next 5 years may result in partly desirable and partly undesirable outcomes. Concrete key factors should be used in practice to support both education and healthcare quality development and research. The essence of the scenarios should serve as a starting point for research agenda setting and political decision-making in the future. However, additional research is needed to quantify the correlations among the relevant factors.