CAREGIVER INVOLVEMENT IN A LARGE CLINICAL-SYSTEMS PROJECT

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region (KPNCR) CareGiver Wor kstation (CGW) Project's mission is to develop and implement a clinica l workstation system that will enhance each caregiver-member interacti on and aid in the decision-making processes of direct patient care in the inpatient and outpatient settings. The requirements analysis appro ach for CareGiver Workstation (CGW) is based on the belief that extens ive caregiver involvement will provide a better understanding of the d iverse needs of Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region (KPNCR). In order to involve as many caregivers as reasonably possible, CGW inc luded a 16 member caregiver core team and 6 different Medical Centers in the requirements definition process. The Medical Centers are referr ed to as ''focus facilities''. A ''focus group'' (caregiver team) at e ach selected focus facility consisted of a site coordinator and a 24-3 0 person multidisciplinary team involving physicians, nurses, therapis ts and other caregivers. The Medical Center selection process identifi ed facilities that provided the best cross-sectional representation of KPNCR. The Lead Focus Facility participated in the initial round of r equirements definition activities. These sessions assisted in the desi gn of a simulation that was used at five additional Medical Centers to validate requirements. The five additional Focus Facilities participa ted in simulation review sessions. Feedback from these sessions was us ed to revise the simulation and update the requirements document. Care givers from all six focus facilities and other identified groups parti cipated in a requirements survey to assist CGW with identification of high priority features. Caregiver commitment and continuing involvemen t are essential for the success of CGW. The development of an initial system that can benefit the largest group of caregivers requires exten sive user input and evaluation.