Assessment Committee

• Associate Professor Kasper Hedegård Schiølin, Aarhus University (chair)
• Associate Professor Kathleen Pine, Arizona State University, USA
• Professor, Gunnar Ellingsen, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway

Supervisors

• Professor Claus Bossen, Department of Digital Design an Information studies, Aarhus University
• Associate Professor Peter Danholt, Department of Digital Design an Information studies, Aarhus University
• Associate Professor Scholdan Bertelsen, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University

The dissertation will be available for reading in a digital version before the defence following a statement from the borrower promising to delete the file afterwards. If you wish to read the dissertation please contact Asbjørn Malte Pedersen ampedersen@cc.au.dk.

The defence is scheduled for three hours and is open to the public. All are welcome. Afterwards there is a reception i Nygaard Lunchroom (5335-229).

Abstract
This dissertation investigates data work in healthcare, focusing on the practices of a healthcare
Business Intelligence (BI) unit. Grounded in extensive ethnographic fieldwork, the study explores the skills, tasks, and collaborative practices involved in producing and repurposing data as well as implementing and disseminating it across organizational boundaries. Addressing three overall research questions, the dissertation finds that data work in the BI unit and local wards combines technical skills, domain-specific expertise, and social competencies to contextualize and interpret data while collaborating with healthcare professionals. This work involves diverse roles, from BI Developers to clinical staff, blurring traditional professional boundaries as healthcare professionals increasingly take on new data-related tasks. These evolving roles highlight the sociotechnical dynamics of data work that require collaboration, adaptability, and contextual understanding. The dissertation further argues that while data has significant transformative potential, its impact on
healthcare depends on collaboration, contextual awareness, and continuous adaptation. Data should not be seen as an autonomous solution capable of "saving lives" but rather as an enabler that supports informed decision-making, healthcare practices, and cross-professional collaboration.
    The research is situated in the broader context of the increasing datafication of healthcare. Over the past decade, the healthcare sector has experienced a surge in data generation, ranging from electronic health records to patient monitoring and genomic data. This data deluge has fueled a strive for data-driven decision-making, with data analysis and BI units emerging as central actors in transforming data into insights for clinicians, administrators, and managers. However, the generation and processing of data requires work - by humans. Despite its importance, this data work – conducted by both healthcare professionals and data professionals – is often unacknowledged and overlooked in research. While attention is paid to datafication processes in the abstract, there is a lack of studies detailing how data is produced and repurposed, by whom, and in which settings. Moreover, the demand for data is reshaping organizational practices and professional roles. As data work practices evolve, traditional healthcare roles and emerging data-oriented roles increasingly overlap, reshaping professional identities and interprofessional dynamics. The dissertation is motivated by the need to explore these dynamics in greater depth. Overall, the research advances our understanding of data work in healthcare as a socio-technical practice.