Workflow: a new modeling concept in critical care units

The term Groupware concerns computer-based systems that support groups of people engaged in a common task (goal) and that provide an interface to a shared environment [1]. The absence of a common tool for exchanges between physicians and nurses causes a multiplication of paper supports for the recording of information. Our objective is to study software architectures in particular medical units that allow task coordination and managing conflicts between participants within a distributed environment. The final goal of this research is to propose a computer solution that could answer the user requirements in Critical Care Units (CCUs). This paper describes the Workflow management approach [5] for supporting group work in health care field. The emphasis is especially on asynchronous cooperation. This approach was applied to CCUs through the analysis and the proposal of a new architecture [6]. We shall limit ourselves to explaining control board and analyzing the message management we support.