Discuss now, document later: CIS/CPOE perceived to be a 'shift behind' in the ICU

Effective communication is essential to safe and efficient patient care. We aimed to understand the current patterns and perceptions of communication of common goals in the ICU using the distributed cognition and clinical communication space theoretical frameworks. We conducted a focus group and 5 interviews with ICU clinicians and observed 59.5 hours of interdisciplinary ICU morning rounds. Clinicians used a CIS/CPOE system and paper artifacts for documentation; yet, preferred verbal communication as a method of information exchange because they perceived that the documentation was often not updated or efficient for information retrieval. These perceptions that the CIS/CPOE is a "shift behind" may lead to a further reliance on verbal information exchange, which is a valuable clinical communication activity, yet, is subject to information loss. Electronic documentation tools that, in real time, capture information that is currently verbally communicated may increase the effectiveness of communication.