Aim: To describe and compare shift leaders’
important information needs by profession, unit, time of day and type of
hospital. Background: Professionals responsible for care provision in hospital
units make ad hoc decisions about available resources to meet patient care
needs but, currently, much effort is needed to obtain the necessary information
to support decision making. Methods: This survey was carried out in nine
randomly chosen hospitals in Finland. Nurses and physicians responsible for
day-to-day operations were eligible to participate (N = 873). The
response rate was 65% (n = 570, including 453 nurses and 111
physicians). Data were collected in 2015–2016 using the Hospital Shift Leaders’
Information Needs Questionnaire with 114 information need items. Results: Shift
leaders reported many real-time information needs. Nurses’ important
information needs concerned patients, personnel, and materials, and physicians’
needs focused on patient care. Large mean differences existed in the needs
between nurses and physicians, and imaging units when compared to other units.
Conclusion: Real-time information systems for shift leaders should consider the
needs of different users to support shared situational awareness and operational
intelligence. Implications for nursing management: The important
information-need items identified here may be used in designing and developing
information systems that better support shift leaders’ work in hospitals.