Development and Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Electronic Discharge Readiness Tool: User-Centered Design...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Communication Systems
• Patient Discharge Planning

Background:

• Traditional discharge planning methods often involve limited communication channels, such as one-way information flow or static data entry.
• Ineffective or delayed communication during patient discharge can negatively impact both patients and their associated care providers.
• Current electronic health record (EHR) systems may not adequately support real-time communication for discharge readiness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop an innovative EHR-based communication tool, named Discharge Today, to facilitate real-time information exchange among care teams regarding patient discharge.
• To address barriers in discharge planning by enabling communication of discharge readiness status and patient needs across various hospital settings.
• To apply user-centered design principles to create a functional and effective discharge communication solution.

Main Methods:

• Utilized user-centered design strategies, including stakeholder engagement, iterative prototyping, and user testing.
• Conducted multidisciplinary stakeholder meetings and utilized a brainwriting premortem exercise to identify potential challenges.
• Collected user feedback through surveys and iterative refinement of low-fidelity prototypes before pilot deployment.

Main Results:

• Developed 14 low-fidelity prototypes from 28 meetings with 20 stakeholder groups.
• Successfully implemented 54% (25 out of 46) of requested modifications during the pilot study.
• 88% of surveyed providers reported the tool saved time or maintained workflow efficiency, with feedback highlighting improvements in communication and patient-centeredness.

Conclusions:

• The electronic discharge readiness tool, Discharge Today, demonstrated successful adoption by healthcare providers and clinical staff.
• Continuous stakeholder engagement and iterative user-centered design were crucial factors in the tool's effective implementation.
• The tool shows promise in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of hospital discharge communication.