Interactive tools for inpatient medication tracking: a multi-phase study with cardiothoracic surgery patients

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement
• Medication Management

Background:

• Previous research focused on outpatient medication self-management tools.
• Inpatient settings lacked dedicated patient-facing medication management applications.
• This study addresses the gap in supporting inpatients with medication tracking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate patient-facing tools for inpatient medication management.
• To explore the usefulness of these tools in a real-world clinical setting.
• To identify design considerations for future inpatient medication tracking applications.

Main Methods:

• Developed the myNYP Inpatient personal health record application using a user-centered design approach.
• Incorporated interactive medication lists and commenting features.
• Conducted a two-phase pilot study with cardiothoracic postoperative patients and clinical pharmacists.

Main Results:

• Patients found the medication-tracking tools useful for reviewing medications and logging comments.
• Active tool usage was observed, with frequent use of the hospital medications feature.
• Electronic reporting of questions and comments proved beneficial, with usability and usefulness confirmed after refinements.

Conclusions:

• Patient-centered inpatient medication tracking tools can enhance patient participation in care.
• These tools facilitate improved patient-provider communication during hospitalization.
• Effective design is crucial for the success of inpatient medication management tools.