Patient transport cards support formal and informal coordination in a hospital department

The importance of coordination in hospitals is well recognized. A better understanding of existing work practices is needed to design and implement effective collaborative technologies. In this field study, we reveal how a cognitive artefact, a patient transport card, originally developed to support a formal patient transport process was subsequently integrated into other informal coordination practices to facilitate: (a) awareness of patient arrival, (b) identification of patient’s wheelchair or bed, and (c) transport scheduling decisions. We conclude with implications for current and future research on collaborative artefacts as well as the design and implementation of collaborative technologies.