Information Issues and Contexts that Impair Team Based Communication Workflow: A Palliative Sedation Case Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare systems engineering
• Clinical informatics
• Health services research

Background:

• Team-based workflows are crucial for effective patient care but often complex to implement.
• Challenges arise from the number of providers, information exchange needs, and practical implementation barriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model a palliative sedation therapy (PST) workflow.
• To identify communication purposes, information issues, and contextual factors impacting workflow implementation.
• To inform health information technology (HIT) design for improved team-based communication.

Main Methods:

• Case study methodology focusing on palliative sedation therapy.
• Workflow modeling to represent ideal communication structures.
• Analysis of information issues and contextual factors influencing implementation.

Main Results:

• Palliative sedation therapy (PST) workflow was modeled.
• Key communication purposes, information gaps, and contextual influences were identified.
• Specific challenges in implementing ideal workflows in practice were highlighted.

Conclusions:

• Understanding practical challenges in team-based workflows is essential for effective system design.
• Findings offer insights for developing health information technology (HIT) to better support clinical communication.
• Improved HIT design can enhance the implementation of team-based workflows in complex care scenarios.