Application of the multi-disciplinary thematic seminar method in two homecare cases - a comparative study

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2008:136:597-602.

Abstract

A significant problem with current health information technologies is that they poorly support collaborative work of healthcare professionals, sometimes leading to a fragmentation of workflow and disruption of healthcare processes.

Objective: This paper presents two homecare cases, both applying multi-disciplinary thematic seminars (MdTS) as a collaborative method for user needs elicitation and requirements specification.

Methods: This study describes the MdTS application to elicit user needs from different perspectives to coincide with collaborative professions' work practices in two cases.

Results: Despite different objectives, the two cases validated that MdTS emphasized the "points of intersection" in cooperative work. Different user groups with similar, yet distinct needs reached a common understanding of the entire work process, agreed upon requirements and participated in the design of prototypes supporting cooperative work.

Conclusion: MdTS was applicable in both exploratory and normative studies aiming to elicit the specific requirements in a cooperative environment.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cooperative Behavior*
  • Health Services Needs and Demand
  • Home Care Services*
  • Humans
  • Information Systems*
  • Interdisciplinary Communication
  • Patient Care Planning
  • Patient Care Team*
  • Programming Languages
  • Software
  • User-Computer Interface*