Internet of Things at Danish Hospitals

Abstrakt

Hospital settings are inherently complex, even more so when technology becomes part of the puzzle. The thesis investigates how the Internet of Things is being used as value drivers at Danish hospitals, and how Actor-Network Theory can aid in understanding these Things in the hospital setting. Actor-Network Theory does so by analysing and describing the associations between the heterogeneous actants, as well as the creation of the network, through the process of translation. Prior to this, however, existing literature on the Internet of Things is reviewed, Actor-Network Theory is defined, and collected data is put through analysis, followed by an Actor-Network Theory analysis. The findings from these analyses are then discussed. The thesis finds that the primary value creation mechanism of Internet of Things technologies in Danish hospitals is efficiency. Finally, it is concluded that Actor-Network Theory aids in the understanding by allowing for the description of complex social and technical situations, which in turn can be used to better prepare for coming implementations of Internet of Things technologies, as well as understand previous ones.