Macroergonomics of Patient Work

The macroergonomics perspective on patient work emphasizes that work performed by patients and their informal caregivers is performed in a work system that has multiple elements (people, tasks, technologies, and physical, social, and organizational environment). Patient work is done at multiple system levels of direct care level, organizational level, and policy level. Various macroergonomic models of patient work have been developed that can be used to describe and evaluate the broad sociotechnical system in which patient work occurs. These models can be used to improve the design and implementation of sociotechnical interventions such as patient portal and decision-support technologies. Because patient work occurs over time and space, we recommend the approach of mapping the patient journey, which can be applied to improve the patient work system and outcomes, including outcomes of importance to patients (e.g., their experience with healthcare delivery organizations).