Abstract

This paper explores current themes in research on healthcare data work and practices. The concept of ‘data work’ has received increased attention in connection with the datafication of healthcare through various clinical and administrative IT systems and subsequent strategies to make the sector data-driven. However, data is not a given or ready to be applied, but must be created, shaped, packaged, transported, interpreted, and put into action. The datafication of healthcare therefore implies that more people must work with data. In this paper, we provide an overview of the main themes and findings in the current state of the literature on data work in healthcare. We identified 90 papers through a scoping review and conducted a thematic analysis which identified our main themes in the literature: collaboration, power and politics, changes in tasks, roles and responsibilities, and data challenges. We present these four themes, and subsequently discuss our findings in relation to standards and classification, tensions in data work, and the future of work, identifying gaps in the literature and pointing to possible future directions for research.

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