A method includes transmitting a notification to an end-user device, where the notification identifies an event in an industrial process control and automation system. The method also includes obtaining contextual information associated with the event, where the contextual information includes one or more types of additional information associated with the event. The method further includes transmitting the contextual information to the end-user device. In addition, the method could include receiving a request for the contextual information from the end-user device, where the contextual information is transmitted to the end-user device in response to the request. The contextual information could be obtained from multiple devices or systems automatically in response to the request.