The Rise and Fall of a Boundary Object: How Medical Prescriptions Became a Boundary Object and Why They May Lose this Role through Digitalization

Reimers, Kai; Schellhammer, Stefan; Borchers, Marie; Stowasser, Kerstin; Linzbach, Christina

Abstract

We extend and evaluate a model of the life cycle of boundary objects proposed by Susan Star (2010) by ap- plying it to the evolution of medical prescriptions as boundary objects between pharmacists and physicians during the 19th and 20th century. We find that interpre- tative flexibility, an essential characteristic of boundary objects, is not a property of an object, but results from a certain constellation of practices connected by it. This resonates with Star’s claims that ‘boundary object’ and ‘work arrangement’ are equivalent terms. Based on our findings, we speculate that digitalization of medical pre- scriptions may significantly reduce their character as boundary objects and turn them into a fully specified in- terface of an inter-organizational information system. We also briefly discuss the conditions under which med- ication plans may become new boundary objects in the relationship between physicians and pharmacists