Discourse and politics in Alberta's Health System: An analysis of mobile technology policy

Advances in technology are changing the way healthcare professionals communicate with peers and with patients. Although healthcare professionals are increasingly utilizing mobile health technologies to successfully support their practices, healthcare organizations are slow to embrace and support the use of mobile technologies in the provision of health services. This paper uses a case study to highlight how the adoption and use of mobile technologies in clinical practice is impacted when there is a paucity of clear polices to provide direction. The localized approach is limited in its generalizability but is useful to provide a deeper understanding of the roles organizational discourse and politics have in technology acceptance. By reframing the circumstances present in the case study and analyzing the underlying issues of power and discourse, the goal is to better understand barriers to HIT approval and diffusion within a health system.