Using socio-technical systems theory to study the health information management workforce in Australian acute hospitals

Socio-Technical Systems (STS) Theory is an organisation theory used to study the relationships, interdependencies, and interactions between social elements such as people and structures, and technical elements of task and physical systems. STS has recently gained popularity in the digital health field. To better understand how socio-technical systems can be used to research the health information management field, this paper explores STS theory from its origin, four different approaches, and their application in various studies. Leveraging knowledge gained from other industries on using socio-technical systems, an example of privacy demonstrates this theory’s application in current research examining HIM professionals’ contribution to patient safety in Australian acute hospitals. The article further explores why this approach is suitable for studying this workforce and why this theory remains relevant today.