Exploring barriers for health visitors’ adaption of the Danish Children’s Database through an empirical study

Denmark has unique health informatics databases such as “The Children’s Database” (CDB), which since 2009 has held data on all Danish children from birth until 17 years of age. In the current set-up a number of potential sources of error exist - both technical and human - which means that the data is flawed. The objective of this paper is both to clarify errors in the database and to enlighten the underlying mechanisms causing these errors. This is done through an ethnographic study using participant observations, interviews and workshops. Additionally, errors are documented through statistical analysis. The data show redundant records. This redundancy can be explained by multiple transmissions conducted by end users or systems, or a lack of validation methods in the National CDB. In our results three types of cases are presented: from health visitors at school, from health visitors visiting families and from health visitors at central health offices. Results are discussed from a socio-technical perspective using Schein’s cultural theory to understand the interaction between the health visitors and the information technology used for collecting data. Cultural theory is used to explain the underlying socially constructed mechanisms that cause errors when using the information technology.