Study Details

Making Sure: An ethnographic study of health professionals' work practices

Brian Hazlehurst, Principal Investigator
Nancy H. Vuckovic, Co-Investigator

 This study looks at inpatient cardiac care processes, with a focus on the work within the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Researchers will use methods from cognitive science and anthropology to characterize the real world interactions among staff, and between providers and their tools. These interactions likely have an organization, and the goal is to find patterns that reveal the principles of this organization. Several types of constraints will be particularly important contributors to the organization of interactions, such as the information systems that support the work, the staffing practices and structure, and the professional and institutional cultures that motivate staff and provide frameworks for communication. This work will foster understanding about the relationships between work situations and the safety of cardiac care delivery. This understanding can be used to design improvements to care processes, as well as to improve designs for technology and other support elements to care.
Funding source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, through a subcontract with Oregon Health & Science University

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