Participatory design for computerization of clinical practice guidelines.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Clinical Practice Guideline Development

Background:

• Numerous attempts to computerize clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have failed to achieve widespread adoption in clinical settings.
• The design methodology significantly influences the success of computerized CPG solutions.
• There is a need to explore effective approaches for integrating CPGs into clinical workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the impact of design methods on the computerization of CPGs.
• To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of participatory design (PD) for developing computerized CPGs.
• To focus on PD as a philosophy, a practical toolkit, and a means for shared understanding between IT designers and healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of participatory design (PD) principles relevant to healthcare IT.
• Focus on three key aspects of PD: philosophy, toolbox, and shared understanding.
• Illustration of PD application through two case studies of computerized CPG development.

Main Results:

• Participatory design (PD) enhances the development of computerized clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).
• PD fosters a shared understanding between IT designers and health professionals.
• Case studies demonstrate the practical application and benefits of PD in this domain.

Conclusions:

• Participatory design (PD) is a valuable and beneficial approach for the successful computerization of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).
• PD addresses the gap between IT development and clinical needs, leading to more applicable solutions.
• The collaborative nature of PD is crucial for overcoming barriers to CPG computerization.