Process support for continuous, distributed, multi-party healthcare processes - applying workflow modelling to an anticoagulation monitoring protocol

Workflow management has been shown to be a promising approach to the support of a range of healthcare processes, with tools available for their for-mal specification, analysis and implementation. To further illustrate its relevance, we apply a workflow modelling approach to the specification and analysis of an anticoagulation monitoring protocol, illustrating a Petri Net-based solution using YAWL and Coloured Petri Nets. The selected scenario is representative of healthcare processes which have not been extensively considered for workflow solutions in the past – namely highly distributed, multi-party activities executing over an extended period of time. In presenting a workflow analysis for such a case, we identify challenges in supporting these types of primary and community care-based processes and identify possible areas in which workflow solutions could be extended to address their particular process requirements.