Abstract

Socio-technical systems, such as a hospital, comprise both individuals and groups of people (the social side), and information and processes (the technological side). Understanding such systems and designing for positive change is a challenge because of the inherent, multi-level complexity.

We describe two case studies in evidence-based healthcare design. In the first case, we analyze at a systems level the intra-institution patient transport processes in a medium-sized medical centre. In the second case, we analyze causes of inefficiency and alternative processes for test result delivery in an emergency department. In both case studies, we find that the constraints of different stakeholder groups significantly weigh on the managerial design space. This is joint work with L. Daouk-Oyry.