Temporalities of care management software in residential aged care and effects on intensity, autonomy, meaning and collective work

Care management systems are implemented in nursing homes to enhance traceability, communication, and coordination for care workers. These systems, available on computers and increasingly on digital tablets, can be utilized according to two temporalities: “in real-time,” at the point-of-care just before or after administering treatment, and “delayed,” following a set of treatments. There is a need to understand the real-world usage of care management systems and their effects on care workers, considering these two temporalities. The objectives of this qualitative study are: (1) to explore how caregivers and nurses in nursing homes utilize care management systems over time (2) to analyze how each temporality affects perceived work intensity, autonomy, meaning, and collective work; and (3) to identify the strategies employed by care workers to manage these temporalities. The results indicate that four caregivers and one nurse consistently delayed the use of the care management software throughout their shifts, while six caregivers and three nurses combined both “real-time” and “delayed” use.