Structured knowledge representation: an improved methodology for communication of hospital policy

The optimal operational integrity of a health care facility depends upon the correct interpretation of an adherence to well designed and written policies. Memos describing policy and procedures can be ambiguous, hindering their comprehension rather than helping it. Two alternative methods have been developed for communicating policy: the algorithmic flow chart and a computer decision support program. To determine the best means of communicating policy, the written memo, flow chart, and computer program were compared in scenario presentation interviews. The average time required to complete the test scenarios was five minutes for the traditional memo, two minutes for the algorithm, and two minutes for the computer program. Accuracy improves markedly from the traditional memo to the computer program. ANOVA reveals that the flow chart and computer program are significantly superior to memos as methods for communicating hospital policy.