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Bridging the gaps of medical documentation technology for healthcare professionals and their patients
The US Health System is anything but healthy. Healthcare providers are experiencing burnout, and patients are facing prolonged wait times for appointments. A significant contributor to these inefficiencies is the cumbersome documentation and Electronic Health Record (EHR) processes. When new patients visit a healthcare facility, they are burdened with extensive paperwork during each visit. Consequently, providers must initiate a new EHR for each patient, lacking the essential historical data for reference.
Compounding the issue, patients' health data is scattered and compartmentalized across various practices and EHR systems. This fragmentation hinders seamless access to comprehensive health records. Furthermore, healthcare providers and their support staff often find themselves compelled to bring their work home, dedicating after-hours time to complete patient appointment documentation and associated tasks. This added workload contributes to the overall strain on the healthcare system.
Healthcare practices are typically not interested in going through the logistical process of changing their EHR software because of both the data transfer and training burden. HealthBridge empowers their current EHR software with more efficient experiences and less cumbersome documentation. Providers are given the information they need when they need it. Designing the provider experience in desktop view first was important to match the primary orientation that an EHR is accessed.
Like an insurance card or drivers license, a patient can readily share their full record with a new practice with a unique QR code. Using this method, a provider can pick up where another left off to alleviate their patient's symptoms and treat more efficiently. I focused on a mobile-first design since patient sharing typically happens on the go.
Exploring the terrain
Secondary research revealed the desperate condition of the healthcare system, and its need for improved software and documentation practices.
Reviewing the patient portals of the top two EHR systems—Epic and Cerner—provides a glimpse into each software's usability as a whole. While Epic MyChart provides a lot of features, the information architecture and design require attention. On the other hand, Oracle Cerner's HealtheIntent does well with their simple navigation, but some UI components need polishing. Dashboards on both patient portals leave a lot of room for opportunity.
Valuable space on the homepage not used to its fullest potential.
Too many menu items leading to decision fatigue in patients seeking quick support.
I would have liked to have seen a different background color instead of the light yellow tint for the blocks.
Icons are helpful in concept, but poor in execution.
The topmost navigation and quick actions bar compete with one another.
Primary research consisted of five interviews varying from 30 to 60 minutes in length. The first three sessions focused on each healthcare provider's EHR experience; while the last two uncovered the patient perspective on healthcare documentation and patient portals. With each interview, notes were transcribed in Otter.ai.
Identifying its landmarks
With the User Personas as the main characters, these two perspectives illustrate the potential impact of a universal EHR resource to treat the current healthcare crisis.
Today, patients are at the mercy of what is accessible in their EHR. If patients have the option to sync their record across their chosen healthcare practices, providers can readily see historical data and focus on excelling in their craft instead of being preoccupied with documentation.
Providers are currently burning out from the administrative burden EHRs place on them. If providers are equipped with more efficient interfaces catered to their workflows, they can help to meet patient demand all while living a more balanced life outside of working hours.
Charting the paths
Task flows provided the high-level view of each patient portal process, while user flows drilled deeper into individual patient decisions.
The medical system has so many layers, so keeping a simple architecture is crucial to serving patients with the data they need, when they need it.
This sample wireframe set showed how a pre-existing user would add their EHR from their chosen practice to their Synced Accounts Database.
Arrive at the destination
