How digital documentation in electronic health records forms healthcare professionals’ identity

Background: Digital documentation systems are increasingly used in healthcare to streamline workflows and improve resource management. However, their influence extends beyond administration, potentially affecting healthcare professionals’ identity. Aim: The aim is to analyse how digital documentation in Danish municipal healthcare influences Health Care Professionals (HCP)’ identity through subtle identity regulation processes, focusing particularly on mechanisms of organisational control. Methods: A qualitative single-case study was conducted in a medium-sized Danish municipality. Data were collected through 124 hours of field observations and 15 semi-structured interviews with 23 HCPs. Alvesson and Willmott’s (2002) identity regulation framework guided the analysis. Results: Three modes of identity regulation were identified: 1) regulating context, 2) regulating actions, and 3) regulating organisational functions. These modes shaped how HCPs perceived and enacted their professional identity. Discussion: Digital documentation systems position HCPs as efficient service providers rather than autonomous professionals. However, HCPs engage in identity work to adapt, resist, or reinterpret these regulatory demands, highlighting tensions between care values and managerial logic. Conclusion: Digital documentation serves as both a technical tool and a powerful identity-regulating mechanism. To support professional autonomy and care quality, future digitalisation strategies must involve HCPs and recognise the complexity of their work.