Participatory design for computerization of clinical practice guidelines

There have been made many attempts on computerization of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), none have, however achieved any general application in clinical work practice. The objective of this paper is: (1) to raise awareness about the impact the design method used for computerization of CPGs have on the final solution and (2) to explore the potential benefits--and disadvantages--of participatory design (PD) as an approach to design. However, rather than attempting to comprehensively cover the whole field of PD pertinent to healthcare, we focus on providing details on three aspects of PD: PD as a design philosophy, PD as a toolbox and PD as a way to create a shared realm of understanding among IT-designers and health professionals as these are areas of utmost relevance for the design of computerized CPGs. Additionally, the application of PD for computerization of CPGs is illustrated by two cases. We conclude that PD is a beneficial approach for design of computerized CPGs.