Experiences from an implementation project - time management and control in home care

This paper is about the first trials during the implementation of a palm-based computer system in home care. The implementation project was carried out for several reasons. There was a need to gather information about the service calls. The palm-based system makes it also possible for the workers to utilize the information of the client database during service calls. Being assisted by a palm-based system is believed to raise the level of efficiency in home care and ease the process of growing professionalism amongst the workers. The study was carried out as a qualitative ethnographic study during the pilot phase of the implementation. First reactions of the care workers taking part in the trial period were more or less negative. The general attitude of the care workers was that the new system was implemented in order to place their work under the lens of surveillance. On the other hand, some of the workers felt that the new system enabled them to have more control of their working schedules and of carrying out different care tasks during a work day. Actual effects of the implementation and the possible changes in work practices can be seen only after a longer study.