Human-Tech interactions in practice

Human–Tech Interactions in Practice: When Technology Hits the Ward

Hospitals across Europe are investing in digital tools, but how do these systems actually work once they leave the design lab and land in busy clinical settings? The TechConnect project has been exploring this question through twelve in-depth hospital case studies in Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, following technologies in real time alongside clinicians and managers.

A central finding is the important of the affordance gap, the space between what a tool is meant to doand how is it really used in practice. These gaps are not just problems to solve; they reveal how staff adapt, improvise and sometimes even improve o original designs.

From creative workarounds when systems do not fit workflows, to better patient assestment when images can be shared directly with nurses, human ingenuity often turns friction into innovation.

Across all sites, one message stands out: technology succeds when humans do. Effective healthcare technology is less about flawless design and more about flexible implementation. When clinicals are involved eatly, experimentation is encouraged, and communication between manageers. IT teams and technology providers stay open, hospitals are better placed not only to adopt new systems, but to grow with them.

Watch the webinar here