Web based diabetes care planning - sociotechnical barriers to implementation in general practice.

Background: This research explored the sociotechnical barriers in the implementation of web based diabetes care plans in general practice from the perspective of implementing stakeholders.

Methods: A qualitative case study design was use to explore the sociotechnical barriers. Twenty-one stakeholders were purposely recruited and interviewed.

Results: Technological barriers included rudimentary IT applications in general practice; standardisation and interoperability issues; and 'bugs' in the system. The role of practice managers as gatekeepers influenced the uptake of the technology. General practitioners were noted to be time poor, while practice nurses preferred to stick with paper based ways of doing care plans. The relationship between allied health professionals and GPs also influenced the adoption process.

Discussion: Implementers had significant insight into the sociotechnical barriers to diabetes web based care planning in general practice. Future research should examine the roles of the stakeholders involved in determining standards and the interoperability of systems.