Framing the role of IT artefacts in homecare processes

Based on the preliminary results of a case study, this qualitative research explores the meaning of the technological decisions implemented by a voluntary care association, which we will call Gamma. A provider of home assistance to terminally ill patients living in Lombardy (Italy), Gamma recently introduced an IT artefact to support its socio-care teams, equipping all the members with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) to remotely access the patients’ electronic medical files, which are then updated in real time after each home visit. The article uses organisation studies to respond to two questions: how is the relationship between the technological and the organisational choices shaped by the new device? In what terms does the IT artefact help make the difference, or influence the decision processes at the diverse levels? It is argued that the artefact enters the caring processes as an additional source of regulation. The PDA makes the difference in terms of broadening and extending the control exercisable by Gamma’s management, but also enables the care providers to affirm their autonomy