| Specific Aims. This study aims to understand and describe: (1) how humans organize themselves in complex work systems to achieve goals using artifacts, work practices and information and (2) the impact of disturbances to work practices, when artifacts human operators normally use in a system are replaced by new artifacts.;Methods. The study involves subject matter interviews of academic advisors and emergency department caregivers to develop an overall system model and rich descriptive data of their work practices. Qualitative ethnographic data of artifacts, information created or maintained, goals, work practices and coordination activities of academic advisors and emergency department caregivers were documented. Data across different settings help generalize strategies for work. |
