A Patient-Centered Information System (myED) for Emergency Care Journeys: Design, Development, and Initial Adoption

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Experience
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Medical care coordination is complex, with emergency department (ED) patients often lacking predictable information about their care journey.
• This lack of predictability can lead to increased patient frustration and aggression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a system providing patients with real-time, personalized information on ED procedures and expected wait times.
• To conduct an initial evaluation of the developed system's effectiveness and patient reception.

Main Methods:

• Information was extracted from hospital databases and translated into patient-accessible language using process mining and UI design.
• A mixed-methods approach, including observations, interviews, and online records, was used for system evaluation.

Main Results:

• Patient interviews confirmed a need for information regarding their ED journey.
• The myED system, accessible via mobile phones, significantly improved patients' understanding of their ED journey (P=.01).
• While 30.48% of patients used myED, challenges like patient medical state and technological literacy impacted adoption.

Conclusions:

• The myED system offers a secure, effective, and user-friendly way to provide personal ED journey information via mobile technology.
• Addressing patients' psychological need for information improves healthcare by enhancing understanding and potentially patient experience.
• Ongoing refinement is expected to yield positive effects on patient experience and hospital operations.