Searching for the Implicit amid the Explicit in Novice Case Presentations: Implications for Electronic Records

Marlee M. Spafford
Associate Professor,
School of Optometry
University of Waterloo

February 9, 2005
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Davis Centre 1304, University of Waterloo

View Video of Presentation in HI Alive Archive: Research Seminars Archive 2004-2005

Abstract
Case presentations are widely used by healthcare providers to orally disseminate patient information to other healthcare providers. Our research into the unique features of the novice case presentation - where agendas of patient care and student education co-exist - has highlighted the case presentation’s strong socializing role, in part, through the delivery of numerous implicit or tacit messages. Our work also has revealed that the interplay between this oral communication tool and the written record is affected by the clinical setting and the focus on patient-centered care. We suspect that the relationship between the case presentation and the written record may have implications for those designing electronic medical records.

Biosketch
Marlee Spafford is an associate professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry. Dr. Spafford obtained a Doctor of Optometry degree and a MSc degree (Physiological Optics) from the University of Waterloo and a PhD degree (Theory & Policy Studies in Education) from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto. She has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry since 1994. Dr. Spafford’s scholarship interests include health care professional education and socialization, professional gatekeeping, and equity in professional education. Dr. Spafford has received six awards for her teaching contributions in areas such as clinical techniques, case analysis, professionalization and patient care delivery.