TIME-CENTERED PATIENT RECORD ABOUT THIS DESIGN We redesigned the patient record to be more user and time-centered. We took the idea that medical professionals need the ability to process lots of information quickly, while patients and caregivers could benefit most by understanding how their health is progressing over time. Surgery, medication, immunizations and health recommendations exist to make a person better by displaying information in timeline view, our goal is to help people connect their medical records to a longer-term view of their health. RELEVANCE We considered the types of users in three broad buckets: Medical professionals: who require the ability to scan information quickly, have consistency in how information is displayed. Patients: ability to interpret past medical information, understand how their health has changed over time. Caregivers: access to the most important and relevant information about the patient quickly and easily, and view progress over time. REDUCE PATIENT MULTIPLE ENTRIES For patients that engage in multiple medical services, medical practices could scan the QR code to avoid re-entering patient information into their system. This should be simple patient information such as name, address etc. ICONOGRAPHY The icons were used to better structure the information and offer the ability to distinguish between different types of events. More user testing is required to develop a consistent and easily understandable set of icons (see here) VISUAL STYLE & LAYOUT The information is well structured; there is a clear delimitation between sections and categories. White space, alternating rows and dividers are used to improve readability and better define the document structure. Time-centered patient record Stefan Vant & Linda Luu
The information is presented in a sentence format as often as possible - as opposed to a list of bullet points. The information that needs to be retrieved quickly by medics is presented first and with more visual priority, followed by an explanation in layman s terms. Our primary goal is to make the record very easy to understand by the users in the defined target groups. Calendar dates are presented in a consistent format and always in the right column. In this way, any event can be quickly identified as old or more recent at a glance. Doctors or caregivers can quickly identify the issues that need the most attention highlighted in orange like severe allergies or problems that are still identified as active. Lab results are marked as good or non-optimal through color-coding. The number values have high visual priority and can be found quickly by medical professionals. The information is explained and a simple chart is generated, allowing a better understanding of the current situation and where the target goals are situated. TIMELINE VIEW All records with a valid date can be displayed chronologically in a timeline view. Items recorded on the same date or on consecutive days are grouped together under a single event on the timeline. We consider it to be a very fast way to familiarize someone to a new patient s medical history. Instead of scanning the entire record while mentally trying to group the information you can quickly understand how the events progressed through time. (i.e. how childbirth interfered with out patient s cholecystectomy). HELP SYSTEM We suggest the introduction of an online reference system accessible through an URL shortener. The help system will offer the patients valid and up to date information regarding each section of the record (i.e. clarifications around vaccinations, healthy cholesterol levels etc.) This will help the patients with an even better understanding of their own medical results and accurate, official information as opposed to search engine results. MEDIUMS We have assumed that patient records will be printed or exported as PDF and shared with the patient via email. There are two versions of the patient record, - one in color, more suitable to be shared in electronic format and a greyscale version better suited for printing. Time-centered patient record Stefan Vant & Linda Luu