Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Temporality in Medical Work: Time also Matters

  • Published:
Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

CSCW has long been concerned with the distribution of activities in time and in space, but the problems of distributed work have often taken analytic and technical precedence. In this paper, we are interested in the issue of temporality in collaborative work. In particular, we want to examine how the temporal organization of action is experienced by those who are involved in it. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted a field study of medical workers in a surgical intensive care unit. Through this study, we highlight the temporal organization of the work. In particular, we introduce and describe three temporal features – temporal trajectories, temporal rhythms, and temporal horizons – that emerge from and influence the work of healthcare providers as they attempt to seek, provide, and manage information during the course of their daily work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen T.J. (1977). Managing the Flow of Technology. Cambridge, MIT Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Bardram, J.E. (1997): I Love the System – I just Don’t Use It. Proc. ACM Conf. on Group Work (GROUP’97), Phoenix, AZ, New York: ACM, pp. 251–260

  • Bardram J.E. (2000). Temporal Coordination: On Time and Coordination of Collaborative Activities at a Surgical Department. Computer Supported Cooperative Work 9:157–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barley S.R. (1988). On Technology, Time, and Social Order: Technically Induced Change in the Temporal Organization of Radiological Work. In: Dubinskas F.A. (eds), Making Time: Ethnographies of High Technology Organizations. Philadelphia, PA, Temple University Press, pp. 123–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Begole J., Smith R.B., Struble C.A., Shaffer C.A. (2001). Resource Sharing for Replicated Synchronous Groupware. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking 9(6):833–843

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Begole, J., J.C. Tang, R.B. Smith and N.Y. Yankelovich (2002): Exploring Work Rhythm Awareness: Coordinating Contact Among Colleagues. Human-Computer Interaction Consortium Winter Workshop, Fraser, Colorado

  • Benford, S. and L. Fahlen (1993): A Spatial Model of Interaction in Virtual Environments. Proc. of the European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (ECSCW’93), Milano, Italy, pp. 107–132

  • Bently R., Appelt W., Busbach U., Hinrichs E., Kerr D., Sikkel K., Trevor J., Woetzel G. (1997). Basic Support for Cooperative Work on the World Wide Web. International Journal on Human-Computer Studies 46(6):827–846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bly S., Harrison S., Irwin S. (1993). Media Spaces: Bringing People Together in a Video, Audio, and Computing Environment. Communications of the ACM 36(1):28–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bos, N., J. Olson, D. Gergle, G. Olson and Z. Wright (2002): Effects of Four Computer-Mediated Communication Channels on Trust Development. Proc. of ACM Conf on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’02), Minneapolis, MN, New York, ACM, pp. 135–140

  • Cicourel A.V. (1990) The Integration of Distributed Knowledge in Collaborative Medical Diagnosis. In: Galegher J., Kraut R.E., Egido C. (eds), Intellectual Teamwork. Hillsdale, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 221–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottrell W.F. (1939). Of Time and the Railroader. American Sociological Review 4(2):190–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dervin B. (1999). On Studying Information Seeking Methodologically: The Implications of Connecting Metatheory to Method. Information Processing and Management 35:727–750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ducheneaut, N. and R.J. Moore (2004): The Social Side of Gaming: A Study of Interaction Patterns in Massively Multiplayer Online Game. Proc. of ACM Conf on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’04), Chicago, IL, pp. 360–369

  • Duncan, R. and M. Shabot (2000): An Enterprise Web Viewing System for Clinical and Administrative Data. Proc. of the American Medical Informatics Association Symposium, Los Angeles, CA, 1116

  • Egger, E. and I. Wagner (1992): Time Management: A Case for CSCW. Proc. ACM Conf. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’92), Toronto, Canada. New York: ACM Press, pp. 249–256

  • Ellis D. (1989). A Behavioural Model for Information Retrieval System Design. Journal of Information Science 15:237–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fidel R., Bruce H., Pejtersen A., Dumais S., Grudin J., Poltrock S. (2000). Collaborative Information Retrieval. Information Behavior Research 1:235–247

    Google Scholar 

  • Fine G.A. (1990). Organizational Time: Temporal Demands and the Experience of Work in Restaurant Kitchens. Social Forces 69(1):95–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsythe D.E., Buchanan B.G., Osheroff J.A., Miller E.A. (1992). Expanding the Concept of Medical Information: An Observational Study of Physicians’ Information Needs. Computers and Biomedical Research 25(2):181–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fussell, S., R.E. Kraut and J. Siegel (2000): Coordination of Communication: Effects of Shared Visual Context on Collaborative Work. Proc. of ACM Conf. on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’00), Philadelphia, PA, pp. 21–30

  • Galegher, J. and R.E. Kraut (1990): Computer-mediated Communication for Intellectual Teamwork: A Field Experiment in Group Writing. Proc. of ACM Conf. on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’90), Los Angeles, CA, pp. 65–78

  • Gaver, W., T. Moran, A. MacLean, P. Dourish, P. Carter and W. Buxton (1992): Realizing a Video Environment: EuroPARC’s RAVE System. Proc. of ACM Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’92), Monterey, CA. New York: ACM, pp. 27–35

  • Glaser B.G., Strauss A.L. (1968). Time for dying. Chicago, Aldine

    Google Scholar 

  • Grinter, R.E., J.D. Herbsleb and D.E. Perry (1999): The Geography of Coordination: Dealing with Distance in R&D Work. Proc. of Intl. ACM SIGGROUP Conf. on Supporting Group Work, Phoenix, AZ, pp. 306–315

  • Hill, W.C., J.D. Hollan, D. Wroblewski and T. McCandless (1992): Edit Wear and Read Wear. Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ’92, New York: ACM Press, pp. 3–9

  • Hindmarsh, J., M. Fraser, C. Heath, S. Benford and C. Greenhalgh (1998): Fragmented Interaction: Establishing Mutual Orientation in Virtual Environments. Proc. of ACM Conf. on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’98), Seattle, WA, pp. 217–226

  • Hinds P., Kiesler S. (eds) (2002). Distributed Work. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, J.M., J. Christensen, W.A. Kellogg and T. Erickson (2002): I’d Be Overwhelmed, But It’s Just One More Thing To Do: Availability and Interruption in Research Management. Proc. ACM Conf. Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’02), Minneapolis, Minnesota. New York: ACM, pp. 187–194

  • Johansen R. (1988). Groupware: Computer Support for Business Teams. New York, The Free Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-Lenz P., Johnson-Lenz T. (1991). Post-Mechanistic Groupware Primitives: Rhythms, Boundaries, and Containers. The International Journal of Man Machine Studies 34:395–417

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhlthau C.C. (1988). Developing a Model of the Library Search Process: Cognitive and Affective Aspects. Reference Quarterly 28:232–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Lave J. (1988). Cognition in Practice. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Mark, G., S. Abrams and N. Nassif (2003): Group-to-Group Distance Collaboration: Examining the “Space Between".Proc. of the 8th European Conference of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (ECSCW’03), Helsinki, Finland, pp. 99–118

  • Markus L. (1994). Finding a Happy Medium: Explaining Negative Effects of Electronic Communication on Social Life at Work. ACM Transactions on Information Systems 12(2):119–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, D.W. and M.S. Ackerman (1998): Just Talk to Me: A Field Study of Expertise Location. Proc. ACM Conf. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’98), Seattle, WA. New York: ACM, pp. 315–324

  • McGrath J.E. (1990) Time Matters in Groups. In: Galegher J., Kraut R.E., Egido C. (eds), Intellectual Teamwork: Social and Technological Foundations of Cooperative Work. Hillsdale, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 23–61

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, J.E. and F. Tschan (2003): Temporal Matters in Social Psychology: Examining the Role of Time in the Lives of Groups and Individuals. American Psychological Association

  • Munro A., Hook K., Benyon D. (eds) (1999). Social Navigation of Information Space. London, Springer

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson G., Olson J. (2002). Distance Matters. Human Computer Interaction 15:139–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, J. and S. Teasley (1996): Groupware in the Wild: Lessons Learned Form a Year of Virtual Collocation. Proc. of ACM Conf on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’96), Boston, MA, pp. 419–427

  • Orlikowski W.J., Yates J. (2002). It’s about Time: Temporal Structuring in Organizations. Organization Science 13(6):684–700

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paepcke A. (1996). Information Needs in Technical Work Settings and Their Implications for the Design of Computer Tools. Computer Supported Cooperative Work 5:63–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poltrock, S., J. Grudin, S. Dumais, R. Fidel, H. Bruce and A. Pejtersen (2003): Information Seeking and Sharing in Design Teams. ACM Conference on Supporting Group Work (GROUP'03), Sanibel Island, FL, pp. 239–247

  • Reddy, M. and P. Dourish (2002): A Finger on the Pulse: Temporal Rhythms and Information Seeking in Medical Care. Proc. of ACM Conf. on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’02), New Orleans, LA. New York: ACM, pp. 344–353

  • Reddy, M., P. Dourish and W. Pratt (2001): Coordinating Heterogeneous Work: Information and Representation in Medical Care. Proc. of the European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (ECSCW’01), Bonn, Germany. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 239–258

  • Reddy, M., W. Pratt, P. Dourish and M. Shabot (2002): Asking Questions: Information Needs in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Proceedings of American Medical Informatics Association Fall Symposium (AMIA’02), San Antonio, TX, pp. 651–655

  • Roy D.F. (1959). Banana Time’: Job Satisfaction and Informal Interaction. Human Organization 18(4):158–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt K. (2002). The Problem with “Awareness". Computer Supported Cooperative Work 11(3):285–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnenwald D.H., Pierce L.G. (2000). Information Behavior in Dynamic Group Work Contexts: Interwoven Situational Awareness, Dense Social Networks and Contested Collaboration in Command and Control. Information Processing and Management 36:461–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorokin P.A., Merton R.K. (1937). Social Time: A Methodological and Functional Analysis. The American Journal of Sociology 42(5):615–629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss A., Fagerhaugh S., Suczek B., Wienner C. (1985). Social Organization of Medical Work. Chicago, University of Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun C., Chen D. (2002). Consistency Maintenance in Real-Time Collaborative Graphics Editing Systems. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 9(1):1–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twidale M., Nichols D.M., Paice C.D. (1997). Browsing is a Collaborative Activity. Information Processing and Management 33(6):761–783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead A.N. (1920). The Concept of Nature. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson T.D. (1981). On User Studies and Information Needs. The Journal of Documentation 37(1):3–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson T.D. (1996). Information Behaviour: An Interdisciplinary Perspective. Information Processing and Management 33(4):551–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zerubavel E. (1977). The French Republican Calendar: A Case Study in the Sociology of Time. American Sociological Review 42(6):868–877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zerubavel E. (1979). Patterns of Time in Hospital Life: A Sociological Perspective. Chicago, University of Chicago Press

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other staff members in the SICU. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under awards 0133749, 0205724 and 0326105, and by the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, 321J IST Building, University Park, PA, 16802-6823, USA

    Madhu C. Reddy

  2. Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine, USA

    Paul Dourish

  3. The Info-rmation School and Biomedical and Health Informatics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

    Wanda Pratt

Authors
  1. Madhu C. Reddy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul Dourish
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wanda Pratt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Madhu C. Reddy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Reddy, M.C., Dourish, P. & Pratt, W. Temporality in Medical Work: Time also Matters. Comput Supported Coop Work 15, 29–53 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-005-9010-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-005-9010-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation