Clinical simulation: A method for development and evaluation of clinical information systems

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Clinical simulation is increasingly used for eHealth system design and evaluation.
• Over 20 simulation studies at ITX-lab inform this methodological approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a ten-step methodological approach for using clinical simulations.
• To evaluate the implementation of Digital Clinical Practice Guidelines using this method.

Main Methods:

• A ten-step simulation methodology.
• A full-scale simulation test with 18 healthcare professionals.
• Case study on a prototype planning and coordination module.

Main Results:

• Healthcare professionals can benefit from the evaluated module.
• Unintended consequences identified: terminology issues, altered responsibilities, workflow concerns.
• Unexpected benefits emerged: improved communication, better discharge letters, enhanced quality management.
• New potential user groups were identified.

Conclusions:

• Clinical simulation is a valuable tool for assessing eHealth systems.
• The method helps identify both intended and unintended consequences of system implementation.
• Simulation facilitates the discovery of new benefits and user groups, optimizing system design.