Book chapter
Cognitive Work Analysis in Health Care
Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety, pp 494-503
2012
Abstract
Adoption of technology has been proposed as a means
to reduce medical error (Kohn et al., 1999). This reduction might be derived through automation of tasks,
monitoring, and improved oeexibility of data handling
directed toward better situation assessment (Puckett,
1995, Sarter et al., 1997; Potter et al., 2000). Studies of
accidents, however, consistently demonstrate that
new computerized systems predictably affect human
problem-solving ability in ways that often contribute
to accidents. Experience with technology’s contribution to new failures is widespread, ranging from personal catastrophes by unintentional, but unrecoverable,
keystrokes that wipe out entire fles (Norman, 1983) to
software problems that crashed NASA’s Mars exploration mission (Young et al., 2000). As health care moves
toward increasing dependence on computerized tools;
order entry, electronic medical records, and medication
administration to name just a few, their design of these
computerized tools to support human work (e.g., make
it easier, faster, safer, and more accurate) also increases
in importance. Recent reports, including the failure of
computerized order entry at Cedars Sinai (Chin, 2003),
as well as unexpected consequences with implementation of patient care information systems reported by
Ash et al. (2004) and bar coded medication administration by Patterson et al. (2002), lend credence to this
view. Cognitive work analysis (CWA) is a method that
models how environmental, organizational, individual,
and technical constraints contribute to work in order
to design tools that support work. This methodology,
applied to health care systems, could improve safety,
effcacy, effciency, and the acceptance of computerized
tools by health care providers.
Metrics
19 Record Views
5 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- Cognitive Work Analysis in Health Care
- Creators
- Michelle L Rogers - Information Science (Informatics)
- Contributors
- Pascale Carayon (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety, pp 494-503
- Publisher
- CRC Press
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Information Science
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85136382314
- Other Identifier
- 991019173871304721