Supporting ethnographic studies of ubiquitous computing in the medical grand round experience

ABSTRACT

Ethnography is a research method to understand how people carry out their tasks in real-world experiences. Medical grand rounds are quotidian, formal meeting experiences where physicians discuss clinical problems of patients. This paper presents an ethnographic study of medical grand rounds that has driven the design and development of a ubiquitous computing prototype to address the lack of a proper documentation of medical grand rounds. We have learnt that ethnography is a powerful means of understanding tacit knowledge about physicians' needs, behaviors and rituals

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.3 LIFE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES

General Terms:
Design, Theory