Transforming Rehabilitation: Physiotherapy Students' Expectations on Electronic Health Information Systems and Digital Services.

Abstract

Digitalisation is one of the transforming forces in rehabilitation. This study aims to describe physiotherapy students' perceptions of digital documentation, their expectations of using electronic health information systems (HIS), and the transformation of digital services in rehabilitation work. Two workshops for second-year physiotherapy students were performed. The workshop participants (n = 40) wrote their responses in small groups on a digital research platform. The inductive content analysis was applied to data analysis. Three main themes emerged for expectations of HIS: system, environmental, and individual factors. Further, the expectations for the transformation of digital services were categorized into three main themes: the possibility of service quality deterioration, improvement of service quality, and changes in operational culture. In conclusion, physiotherapy students identified meaningful features of HIS that affect rehabilitation, with key expectations of digitalisation around service quality and operational culture. Placing technology adoption within the future user's context provides valuable insights for transforming rehabilitation.