Developing a Cognitive and Communications Tool for Burn Intensive Care Unit Clinicians.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human Factors Engineering
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) work is complex, relying on clinician actions, resources, and patient responses.
• Clinicians manage vast, time-condensed data across multiple resources.
• Effective health information technology (IT) can enhance patient care efficiency, accuracy, and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop an ecologically valid IT system for a military BICU.
• To address the challenges of data management and clinical decision-making in BICU settings.
• To improve the efficiency and quality of care provided to burn patients.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods Cognitive Systems Engineering approach was employed.
• Data collection included observations, interviews, artifact analysis, surveys, and thematic analysis.
• Participatory design and prototyping were used to develop IT solutions.

Main Results:

• 39 IT system requirements were developed, leading to three use cases and interface prototypes.
• Data mining functions were incorporated for pattern recognition of critical events like sepsis.
• Identified gaps between information sources and clinical decisions will inform prototype evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The developed IT system is designed to reflect and support actual BICU workflows.
• The project aims to improve staff efficiency and the quality of patient care.
• Continuous evaluation and design improvement are integral to the system's success.