Infrastructural Complexity: A Mapping of Medication Management in Norway

Abstract

Medication is key to the effective treatment of diseases but requires careful management to avoid errors that may harm patients. This study maps the Norwegian infrastructure for medication management. This infrastructure interlinks hospitals, nursing homes, home care, general practitioners, and so forth into an increasingly integrated record of each citizen’s medication. In spite of its electronic components, the infrastructure is inherently sociotechnical. Considerable human work goes into bridging the components. While cumbersome, the bridging work also introduces occasions for double checking the medication information. The constant evolution of the medicationmanagement infrastructure seeks to reduce bridging work but must also preserve the occasions for checking quality. Doing so requires coordinated changes in technology and work practices.