Interprofessional Information Work: Innovations in the Use of the Chart on Internal Medicine Teams

Authors

Lorelei Lingard, University of Toronto
Lesley Gotlib Conn, University of Toronto
Ann Russell, University of Toronto
Scott Reeves, University of Toronto
Karen-Lee Miller, University of Toronto
Chris Kenaszchuk, University of Toronto
Merrick Zwarenstein, University of Toronto

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2007

Journal

Journal of Interprofessional Care

Volume

21

Issue

6

First Page

657

Last Page

667

URL with Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13561820701731817

Abstract

An abundance of evidence suggests that communication in interprofessional healthcare teams is a complex endeavour. Even relatively simple communication processes involving information work - the gathering, storage, retrieval and discussion of patient information - may be fraught with pitfalls, and yet teams manage to conduct their daily information work, often with a high degree of effectiveness. In this article, we explore one commonplace dimension of information work - the use of patient charts to foster collaborative decision-making and care enactment - towards building an elaborated understanding of how teams innovate in the face of daily complexities in their information work processes. Drawing on results from an ethnographic study of team communication in two internal medicine inpatient wards, we describe the nature and use of patient charts, analyze recurrent problems, and explore adaptive strategies for carrying on team information work in the face of daily barriers.

Notes

Dr. Lorelei Lingard is currently a faculty member at The University of Western Ontario.