S.TRUEMAN PhD THESIS 2016

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Embeddedness : boundary objects are embedded, inculcated and ‘inside of, other structures, social arrangements and technologies’ (p. 611). When delivering mental healthcare the remote nurse follows policies and procedures which dictate when and how social arrangements (e.g., action and relationships) and engagement of technologies (e.g., medications) are undertaken. Transparency : Boundary objects are ‘transparent to use, in the sense that it does not have to be reinvented each time or assembled for each task, but invisibly supports those tasks’ (p. 611). For example the Psychiatric Drug Protocols and the Primary Healthcare manuals advise which, and how much medication to give for a certain presentation. It has been prescriptively ‘laid out’ for the remote nurse to follow. Reach or scope : ‘this may be either spatial or temporal—[a boundary object] has reach beyond a single event or one-site practice’ (p. 611). Policies and procedures are specifically designed for consistent use, in multiple locations and events, to bring uniformity into the delivery of mental healthcare. Learnt as part of membership : the learning of boundary objects ‘is a sine qua non of membership in a community of practice’ (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Star & Ruhleder, 1996, p. 611). New remote nurses have to prioritise learning boundary objects and acquire a familiarity of them to become full members. Part of any remote nurse’s induction requires the identification, learning and familiarisation with the policies, procedures, protocols and systems relevant to the workplace. Links with conventions of practice : a boundary object ‘both shapes and is shaped by the conventions of a community of practice’ (p. 611). Policies, procedures, protocols,