Challenges of improving discharge planning have been an area of concern for many years, including problems related to the lack of time for professionals to participate. In a county in South East Sweden, video conferencing was implemented in discharge planning sessions to enable distance participation of the professionals. To examine the implementation process, interviews were conducted with the implementers, who were project leaders, discharge planning coordinators in the hospital, and in home-care. The interviews were analyzed qualitatively, using directed content analysis with a deductive approach to a theoretical framework that was composed from theories about implementation processes to be suitable for the healthcare sector, consisting of the factors: implementation objects; implementation actions; actors; users; inner context and outer context. The results of this study are consistent with the framework but with the addition of a new dimension – time, i.e. time to prepare; time to understand; time to run through and time to reflect. It is suggested that implementation frameworks are useful when IT is introduced in healthcare. Framing the implementation process supports the exposure of factors and highlights relationships and states of dependence between those factors which may affect implementation.

Background/Objective: This paper sets out to describe experience-based reflections on discharge planning as narrated by nursing staff in primary healthcare, along with their concerns about how the introduction of video conferencing might influence the discharge planning situation.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with nursing staff working at a primary healthcare centre in South East Sweden. Each interview took place was conducted on a one-to-one basis in dialogue form, using open questions and supported by an interview guide. It was then analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Participants were eligible for the study if they had given their informed consent and if they worked with discharge planning and home-based healthcare provision. In total, 10 of the 30 persons working at the primary healthcare centre participated in the study.

Results: It was found that nursing staff in primary healthcare regarded the planning session as stressful, time-consuming and characterised by a lack of respect between nursing staff at the hospital and nursing staff in primary healthcare. They also described uncertainty and hesitation about using video conferences where patients might probably be the losers and nursing staff the winners.

Conclusions: It is suggested that there is a need for improvement in communication and understanding between nursing staff at the hospital and nursing staff in primary healthcare in order to develop discharge planning. There is also a need for the nursing staff in primary healthcare to obtain more information about how Information Technology (IT) solutions could support their work and help them to find ways to collaborate.

This article describes healthcare managers' experiences of leading the implementation of video conferencing in discharge planning sessions as a new tool in everyday practice. Data collection took place through individual interviews and the interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. The results indicate that managers identified two distinct leadership perspectives when they reflected on the implementation process. They described a desired way of leading the implementation and communicating about the upcoming change, understanding and securing support for decisions, as well as ensuring that sufficient time is available throughout the change process. They also, however, described how they perceived that the implementation process was actually taking place, highlighting the lack of planning and preparation as well as the need for support and to be supportive, and having the courage to adopt and lead the implementation. It is suggested that managers at all levels require more information and training in how to encourage staff to become involved in designing their everyday work and in the implementation process. Managers, too, need ongoing organizational support for good leadership throughout the implementation of video conferencing in discharge planning sessions, including planning, start-up, implementation, and evaluation.