A resource flow approach to modelling care pathways

Abstract

Attempts to extend process management to support pathways in the health domain have not been as successful as workflow management for routine business processes. In part this is due to the dynamic nature of knowledge intensive work such as care pathways: the actions performed change continuously in response to the knowledge developed by those actions. Also, care pathways involve significant informal communications between those involved in caring for the patient and between these carers and the patient/patient family which are difficult to capture. We propose using an approach to supporting care pathways that embraces these difficulties. Rather than attempting to capture every nuance of individual activities, we seek to facilitate communication and coordination among knowledge workers to disseminate knowledge and pathway expertise throughout the organization.