Using cognitive work analysis to design a continuous quality improvement monitoring system for medical school accreditation

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SYSTEM AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The purpose of this study is to apply phases of Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) to identify human and information constraints in how a medical school tracks and monitors the Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME) accreditation elements and use the identified constraints to guide design decisions for development of a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Tracker system that will be used to facilitate the LCME Oversight Committee meetings. The researcher answered the following questions: What do the phases of CWA reveal about system constraints of a LCME CQI monitoring system at a medical school? More specifically, what are the design implications for a system that supports an oversight committee in the continuous monitoring of accreditation elements at a medical school? Direct observations, document review, and interviews with 17 members of the LCME Oversight Committee were conducted. Findings from qualitative analysis of interview transcripts were mapped to three phases of CWA. Findings were then used to create models that allowed the researcher to gain a deep understanding of the human and information constraints to consider when designing an LCME CQI tracking system.