Information and communication tools as aids to collaborative sensemaking

Collaborative sensemaking occurs when multiple actors engage in understanding an unfamiliar, information-rich environment. We present preliminary results from a field study of the collaborative activities of healthcare providers in an emergency department. The goal of our study was to explore the nature of collaborative sensemaking and the role various information and communication tools play in the process. We describe how paper, whiteboards, and the computerized provider order entry system support common external representations to enhance collaborative sensemaking; but at the same time gaps in collaborative sensemaking occur, leading to representation shifts.