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Workplace affordances for learning in rural primary care

T. Sjöström,Ann Svensson,Margareta Karlsson,E. Sorbring

Published 2025 in Journal of Workplace Learning

ABSTRACT

Learning in the workplace is essential for adapting to rapid changes in contemporary health care. Yet little is known about how informal learning occurs in rural primary care, particularly in the context of e-health adoption. The purpose of this study is to address the gap and explore how workplace affordances shape informal learning among health-care professionals in rural primary care. Data was collected through semistructured interviews with health-care professionals (n = 19), doctors, nurses, psychologists, managers, assistant nurses and medical secretaries, at a rural primary health-care center in Sweden. Thematic analysis was used in the analysis. The findings highlight the duality of rurality: while patients with complex care needs and close-knit professional relationships provide opportunities for spontaneous on-the-spot learning, heavy workloads, limited resources and resistance to digital tools act as significant barriers. The result illustrates how a workplace might afford both restrictive and expansive learning environments, depending on the subject matter at hand. By applying a two-level approach to affordances, the analysis distinguishes between general learning conditions shaped by rural primary care settings and domain-specific affordances tied to the adoption of digital tools. While general workplace affordances – such as supportive culture and open communication – are necessary, they are not sufficient for sustainable e-health adoption. Without targeted, domain-specific affordances that align with the content of digital work, informal learning remains limited. To succeed, organizations must embed digital tools into daily routines in ways that resonate with professional values, foster motivation and build a culture where digital work feels meaningful and co-owned. This study offers a novel contribution by integrating workplace affordance theory with the expansive/restrictive learning framework to examine informal learning during digital transformation in rural primary care. It introduces a two-level typology – distinguishing between general and domain-specific affordances – and reveals how rural settings can simultaneously enable and constrain learning, depending on the content of work. This layered perspective advances understanding of how digital tools are unevenly integrated into everyday practice in rural health care.

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