The TechConnect project, an EU-funded initiative studying how technology actually works in European hospitals, reveals how technology is perceived in healthcare.

Across 12 in-depth case studies in Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, researchers sat with clinicians, interviewed managers and observed technologies in motion. What they found was a nuanced picture of how humans and technologies co-evolve and how the gaps between intention and reality shape everyday clinical life.

When technology meets reality: the affordance gap

The affordance gap is the difference between what a technology was meant to do and what it actually does in practice.

These gaps are normal, especially in systems as complex and socially embedded as hospitals. Technologies move fast, but people, cultures, and routines adapt more slowly. As Christoffer Andersson put it: “Technological change tends to move at a different pace than social change.” And when the intended and actual affordances don’t align, ripples spread across the entire organisation.

The multi-level impact of affordance gaps

1. Individuals: clinicians often face reduced autonomy when systems limit their discretion or find themselves drifting away from direct patient care and toward screens and data layers. In some cases, the technology even clashes with professional values.
2. Teams: collaboration can falter if tools fail to support established workflows. In fast-paced environments like surgical suites or primary care, even small mismatches can cause significant friction.
3. Departments: when systems don’t match real-world needs, workarounds flourish. One planning system lacked basic color-coding, so staff resorted to a makeshift hack: assigning false “diseases” to trigger color changes just to keep their visual overview.
4. Organisations: hospitals aiming for “data-driven care” may find that systems push clinicians further from patients, creating a paradox where technology meant to enhance care actually creates distance.

Not all gaps are negative: the surprise of bonus affordances

Researchers also found that mismatches sometimes produce unexpected benefits. For example, one of the case studies is a communication platform intended to enhance access, it had limited impact on resource allocation, but nurses discovered that the ability for patients to attach images dramatically improved their assessments.

Also, while surgical robots can create physical distance, accompanying imaging and data displays gave teams a shared, real-time understanding of procedures. This strengthened teamwork and made people feel more involved.

Affordance gaps can be fertile ground for innovation, if organisations are willing to learn from them.

Strategies for navigating the Human–Tech landscape

Across all sites, one message was unmistakable: successful healthcare technology isn’t about the tool, it’s about the system around it.

1. Technology doesn’t land in a vacuum. Considering impacts on tasks, teams, departments, and organisational strategy from the start helps avoid mismatches down the line.
2. Clinicians know the nuance of their work better than anyone. Engaging them early and continuously builds trust and uncovers the subtle aspects of professional identity that cannot be designed from behind a desk. Technology should be implemented with people, not on them.
3. Rigid planning and flawless design are illusions. Hospitals benefit from a culture where trying, testing, and adapting are part of the process.
4. Leaders must adjust routines and structures so technology can thrive, rather than expecting clinicians to bend around rigid systems.
5. Clinicians, managers, IT teams, and technology providers need ongoing, clear communication to keep expectations aligned and issues visible.

The human factors

In high-stakes environments where “patients cannot wait,” clinicians may hesitate to trust new tools. Even seasoned professionals worry they may not be able to master new technologies. It can feel as though their long-held skills no longer measure up. Acknowledging and supporting these emotional realities is essential to any successful implementation.

Technology succeeds when humans do

The TechConnect project makes one thing clear: integrating advanced technology in healthcare is not just a technical challenge, it’s socio technical. Affordance gaps will always exist, the question is whether organisations ignore them, fight them, or learn from them. Hospitals that engage users early, adapt continuously, and communicate openly are not just better at implementing technology, they are better at growing with it.

 

Watch the full webinar: https://youtu.be/vtxC2HKh9os?si=ac6L1-akoz6CO65A