Modeling of Processes and Decisions in Healthcare - State of the Art and Research Directions

In order to be able to deliver efficient and effective decision support technologies within healthcare, it is important to be able to understand and describe decision making in medical diagnosis, treatment and administrative processes. This paper outlines how information can be synthesized, interpreted and used during decision making in dynamic healthcare environments. We intend to develop a set of modeling constructs that describe the decision requirements forming the basis for adequate situation awareness in clinical processes. We propose that a separate decision perspective will 1) enhance the shared understanding of the decision context among clinical staff, and 2) provide a better understanding of how we can design information system support for complex cognitive tasks in dynamic work environments.