Tactics for Constructing Visions about Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

Many qualitative studies focus on the ways healthcare technologies affect situated practices. Although these studies are undeniably important, it is equally important to pay attention to visions about these technologies. This article investigates the media discourse surrounding electronic health record (EHR) initiatives in North America. Drawing upon Latour’s (1987) framework for analyzing the process of constructing facts, I examined the tactics through which media discourses construct certain visions of EHR technologies. The analysis identified four kinds of visionary tactics deployed in media discourses, and it shows how these tactics are used to highlight the potential of EHR initiatives in spite of weak empirical evidence. Investigating visionary discourses is important because they contribute to framing specific agendas by encouraging and discouraging particular interpretations, expectations, and practices.