Publication Abstract
What whiteboards in a trauma center operating suite can teach us about emergency department communication Xiao Y, Schenkel S, Faraj S, Mackenzie CF, Moss JA Annals of Emergency Medicine. 50(4):387-95. 2007 Study Objective: Highly reliable, efficient collaborative work relies on excellent communication. We sought to understand how a traditional whiteboard was used as a versatile information artifact to support communication in rapid paced, highly dynamic collaborative work. The similar communicative demands of the OR trauma suite and an emergency department make the findings applicable to both settings. Methods: We took photographs and observed staff’s interaction with a whiteboard in a 6 bed surgical suite dedicated to trauma service. We analyzed the integral role of artifacts in cognitive activities as when workers configure and manage visual spaces to simplify their cognitive tasks. We further identified characteristics of the whiteboard as a communicative information artifact in supporting coordination in fast paced environments. Results: We identified 8 ways in which the whiteboard was used by physicians, nurses and supporting personnel to support collaborative work: task management, team attention management, task status tracking, task articulation, resource planning and tracking, synchronous and asynchronous communication, multi-disciplinary problem-solving and negotiation, and socialization and team building. The whiteboard was highly communicative because of (a) its location and installation method, (b) high interactivity and usability, (c) high expressiveness, and (d) ability to visualize transition points to support work handoffs. Conclusion: Traditional information artifacts such as whiteboards play significant roles in supporting collaborative work. How these artifacts are used provide insights into complicated information needs of team work in highly dynamic, high risk settings such as emergency departments.
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Publication Abstract

What whiteboards in a trauma center operating suite can teach us about emergency department communication
Xiao Y, Schenkel S, Faraj S, Mackenzie CF, Moss JA
Annals of Emergency Medicine. 50(4):387-95. 2007

Study Objective: Highly reliable, efficient collaborative work relies on excellent communication. We sought to understand how a traditional whiteboard was used as a versatile information artifact to support communication in rapid paced, highly dynamic collaborative work. The similar communicative demands of the OR trauma suite and an emergency department make the findings applicable to both settings. Methods: We took photographs and observed staff’s interaction with a whiteboard in a 6 bed surgical suite dedicated to trauma service. We analyzed the integral role of artifacts in cognitive activities as when workers configure and manage visual spaces to simplify their cognitive tasks. We further identified characteristics of the whiteboard as a communicative information artifact in supporting coordination in fast paced environments. Results: We identified 8 ways in which the whiteboard was used by physicians, nurses and supporting personnel to support collaborative work: task management, team attention management, task status tracking, task articulation, resource planning and tracking, synchronous and asynchronous communication, multi-disciplinary problem-solving and negotiation, and socialization and team building. The whiteboard was highly communicative because of (a) its location and installation method, (b) high interactivity and usability, (c) high expressiveness, and (d) ability to visualize transition points to support work handoffs. Conclusion: Traditional information artifacts such as whiteboards play significant roles in supporting collaborative work. How these artifacts are used provide insights into complicated information needs of team work in highly dynamic, high risk settings such as emergency departments.

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