The Practitioner's Perspective on Clinical Pathway Support Systems

Context. Clinical pathway support system can ease the clinician burden by prompting appropriate actions at different stages of a patient consultation. However, while the attitudes of clinicians towards the use of these systems are overwhelmingly positive, system designers still encounter significant challenges to their use in the clinical enviroment. Aims. To explore the role of support systems in healthcare and whether the concept of decision support for clinical pathways is valid. Method. We conducted nineteen evaluations, interviews and questionnaires, with patient-facing healthcare professionals on the use of support systems in a clinical setting. Results. The results highlighted the perceived benefits and weaknesses of support systems. These results are presented as a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. Conclusions. While the logic of support systems in healthcare is evident, in the reality of clinical practice, other factors influence the success of these systems. This has significant implications for the acceptability and the relevance of support systems. The successful implementation and judicious use of these systems will need to develop an understanding of practitioner concerns.