The Buddy Bundle: Process Documentation Julia Bernstein, Kathleen Huang, Marty Schoen
Our Team Julia Bernstein Senior Major(s): Marketing, Computer Science Kathleen Huang Senior Major(s): Communication Design Marty Schoen Senior Major(s): Computer Science
Exploring the Problem Patient Downloads at BJC As a collective group we met at BJC and compiled patient and social worker downloads to gain a look at the bigger picture and all of the players and peices. Here is Hagrid s download, who was the inspiration for future planning. We used other patient and social worker perspectives, but Hagrid s approach became the central theme of our solution.
Exploring the Problem Experience Map Planning We then created an experience map detailing patients travel to and from the hospital, highlighting what they may have done, seen, thought, and felt. It also identifies what potential opportunities or changes can be found at each step. Categories Setting up appointment Arrange for Transportation Ride to Hospital Appointment Outpatient Procedure Ride Home Experiences Doing Seeing Thinking Feeling
Exploring the Problem Experience Map Planning
Exploring the Problem Present State Experience Map
Brainstorming Ideation We identified 3 key problem areas through our experience map and other patient feedback to pull out and do quick-fire ideation around each issue. Then we found trends in our ideas and broke them down into subcategories Issue: Remembering Appointments
Brainstorming Ideation Issue: Scheduling Issue: Finding Information
Brainstorming Remote Ideation We then took our same issues and remotely generated additional ideas around the topics.
Developing a Solution In-Class Ideation From our many ideation exercises, we took our 5 top ideas into class and mapped them out over two axes: high magnitue to low magnitude on the vetical axis, and simple to complex on the horizontal vertex. The idea we began to lean towards was actually a grouping of a few of our ideas and our plan to bundle started to take shape.
Developing a Solution Compiling Best Ideas Following our in-class discussions, we fleshed out our top ideas and came up with the following: Community Events - Communities such as retirement homes and churches can host fun events and get-togethers in conjunction with hospital check-ups. (For example: bingo night at the hospital) - An alternative possibility could be that the events are held at a location more convenient for the patients (such as at the retirement home or church) and health workers could come to them. - Many patients spend a lot of time traveling to the hospital and, once they are there, waiting for their appointment. These community events would allow the patients to at least pass the time enjoyably with other people. - These events would also lessen the pain of traveling alone. The patients would come as a group, so patients with special needs (such as needing a wheelchair) would have others aiding them. They also would not have to worry as much about factors like getting to the hospital on time or their safety while traveling alone. - Safety is in an issue for those traveling alone: I won t chance it in the heat. I will black out. People trust me; I don t want to lose someone s chair... People is vindictive these days. Henry, patient, on traveling alone in a power chair Buddy System - Henry, a patient who was interviewed, has a neighbor who suffers from nerve damage. Henry checks on him around four times a day and goes with him to the doctor. He says that if he didn t go, his neighbor would miss all his appointments and forget what his doctor tells him, including his next appointment time. - A buddy system, similar to the one Henry shares with his neighbor, could be implemented. Patients would be paired with another patient living near them and would be given similar appointment times. - The buddies could travel to and from the hospital together, which better insures that they will remember their appointments. Arranging transportation may also be less daunting for the patients since they have someone to help them. Bundle - Patients will receive a bundle upon checking out with the following: - Card with relevant and customized transportation resources and tips - Prescription with appointment reminders and contact information - Tape recorder with a personalized message from the patient s doctor with important reminders about the time in between appointments - It takes a lot for patients to arrange for their own transit. It takes planning and coordination well in advance. Many patients do not remember to take care of their transportation beforehand and we want to help remind them. - Our star patient Henry, knows what the system is, so [he] adjusts! This should not be the case, the system should be catering to its members. Our relevant and customized information in means that are more engaging and tailored to the patients is a way that can improve the patient experience and get people in control of their plans surrounding doctor s appointments.
Developing a Solution Compiling Best Ideas Point and Reward System - There are many patients that feel a responsibility to their rides and showing up on time. Henry reflects, I am always on time, I have a responsibilities to others, and I keep my appointments. - This responsibility should be felt by all patients and implementing a point system for following cancellation protocol and showing up on time would encourage patients to feel responsibility even if not for their drivers, doctors or social workers, but to themselves to earn various rewards and prizes. - There will be various points throughout the process of getting to the hospital that patients can earn points. Transportation Kiosk - Several kiosks would be located at each exits of a hospital. They would have touch screens with various information on transportation options. - The information would include cab numbers, bus routes, and metro schedules. - It would include the schedules, duration, and price for each option as well as a map showing the locations. - Many patients are not aware of the transportation options available to them and assume they have no options. - This kiosk would have all the options in one place and make it easy to acquire the transportation patients need. Appointment Cards in Wallet - One of the bigger issues patients had was the waiting time for their next appointment. This made it hard to arrange for transportation home since they couldn t guess how long it would take for them to get in and out of their appointment. - A leading issue of extended waiting times is overbooking appointments, which hospitals due largely in part due to the amount of patients who cancel. - A simple reminder of when the appointment times is will make it more likely for the patient to arrange for the proper transportation in advance and less likely that they will forget about the appointment on the day of. - A simple business card that includes the times of their next appointments as well as hospital contact info may be all it takes to lessen cancellations, lessening the need for overbooking and wait times. - It would be small enough to carry around, like in a wallet, and would be a very inexpensive solution.
Developing a Solution Future Experience Map After thinking through all of our best ideas, we felt most strongly about our bundle plan. To figure out all of the touch points of our project even more, we created a future experience map, where patients used our solution.
Developing a Solution Future Experience Map Bundle Steps Doing Feeling Thinking
Finalizing the Solution Future Experience Map
Finalizing the Solution Storyboarding We then took our future experience map and transformed it into a story to address the user and do a walkthrough of our new and improved experience.
the Solution Additional Research d on with our research and determined the best solutions for formatting and the physical items in our bundle: nd recording technologies: to determine how to send reminder messages. We considered YakBaks, tape recorders, greeting c t sizes and legibility for elderly: to determine how to format the transportation guides etes forms and instructions: to determine what forms patients can fill out on-the-go ransit options in St. Louis (see chart): to provide patients with a comprehensive guide for all options available to them (>40 itional patient and social worker downloads: to further support our solution and see if there were any remaining holes case and Rx bottles: to determine size of reminder sticker and what content could feasibly fit ovable stickers: to determine if we could suggest stickers on other places giving patients the ability to move and remove the er generations and technology: to support our decision to stay away from smartphones and just focus on vocie messaging
Finalizing the Solution Progress Presentation, (including additional research)
Finalizing the Solution Final Bundle Components Physical bundle with welcome card from BJC Transportation cards for our user, Cindy. All options available to her based on her zip code are in this pack.
Finalizing the Solution Final Bundle Components Pill container with reminder sticker. The stickers are removable for the patient s ease and convenience. Address book for patient s family and friends contact information. On front inside cover is the patient s unique dial code to call for instructions from their doctor.
Finalizing the Solution Final Bundle Components Forms specific for patients needs will be put in the bundle for them to complete on-the-go. This will stream line their wait time and allow them to think about any concerns they have before they are in the doctor s office and lose track. They can keep track of questions in between appointments. The puzzle will go in the bundle as well because while we can t solve the issues of a slow ride or the waiting involved in going to the doctor s, we can try to make it a little bit more fun and feel a little bit faster.
Finalizing the Solution Our Goal While we are not directly addressing the issue of patient transportation, we are aiming to empower and instill confidence in BJC patients. We identified pain points in discovering a lack of clarity, scheduling control and humanity in the system and we wanted to approach these issues with Harry s success story in mind. We are hoping to provide patients with the tools and resources to take control of their healthcare from all angles. We want to help them manage medication and lifestyle in-between appointments, we want to help them make their own appointments and arrange for their own ride, and we want them to feel better on the way to the appointments with puzzles and means to reflect on how they are feeling. Our goal is to empower and we think we are on our way in doing so.