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Task analysis of information technology‐mediated medication management in outpatient care
Author(s) -
Stiphout F.,
Zwartvan Rijkom J. E. F.,
Maggio L. A.,
Aarts J. E. C. M.,
Bates D. W.,
Gelder T.,
Jansen P. A. F.,
Schraagen J. M. C.,
Egberts A. C. G.,
Braak E. W. M. T.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/bcp.12625
Subject(s) - workflow , task (project management) , cognition , task management , set (abstract data type) , psychological intervention , process (computing) , task analysis , medication therapy management , medicine , computer science , medical education , knowledge management , process management , nursing , pharmacy , business , management , pharmacist , database , psychiatry , programming language , economics , operating system
Aims Educating physicians in the procedural as well as cognitive skills of information technology (IT)‐mediated medication management could be one of the missing links for the improvement of patient safety. We aimed to compose a framework of tasks that need to be addressed to optimize medication management in outpatient care. Methods Formal task analysis: decomposition of a complex task into a set of subtasks. First, we obtained a general description of the medication management process from exploratory interviews. Secondly, we interviewed experts in‐depth to further define tasks and subtasks. Setting: Outpatient care in different fields of medicine in six teaching and academic medical centres in the Netherlands and the United States. Participants: 20 experts. Tasks were divided up into procedural, cognitive and macrocognitive tasks and categorized into the three components of dynamic decision making. Results The medication management process consists of three components: (i) reviewing the medication situation; (ii) composing a treatment plan; and (iii) accomplishing and communicating a treatment and surveillance plan. Subtasks include multiple cognitive tasks such as composing a list of current medications and evaluating the reliability of sources, and procedural tasks such as documenting current medication. The identified macrocognitive tasks were: planning, integration of IT in workflow, managing uncertainties and responsibilities, and problem detection. Conclusions All identified procedural, cognitive and macrocognitive skills should be included when designing education for IT‐mediated medication management. The resulting framework supports the design of educational interventions to improve IT‐mediated medication management in outpatient care.