Information needs in day‐to‐day operations management in hospital units: A cross‐sectional national survey

Aim To describe and compare shift leaders’ important information needs by profession, unit, time of day and type of hospital. Background Professionals responsible for care provision in hospital units make ad hoc decisions about available resources to meet patient care needs but, currently, much effort is needed to obtain the necessary information to support decision making. Methods This survey was carried out in nine randomly chosen hospitals in Finland. Nurses and physicians responsible for day‐to‐day operations were eligible to participate (N = 873). The response rate was 65% (n = 570, including 453 nurses and 111 physicians). Data were collected in 2015–2016 using the Hospital Shift Leaders’ Information Needs Questionnaire with 114 information need items. Results Shift leaders reported many real‐time information needs. Nurses’ important information needs concerned patients, personnel, and materials, and physicians’ needs focused on patient care. Large mean differences existed in the needs between nurses and physicians, and imaging units when compared to other units. Conclusion Real‐time information systems for shift leaders should consider the needs of different users to support shared situational awareness and operational intelligence. Implications for nursing management The important information‐need items identified here may be used in designing and developing information systems that better support shift leaders’ work in hospitals.