User-Centered Design of a Speech-Based Application to Support Caregivers

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Nursing profession faces challenges including high workloads and atypical hours, impacting attractiveness and retention.
• Speech-based documentation systems have demonstrated benefits in efficiency and satisfaction for physicians.
• There is a need for technological solutions to support nursing staff and improve their daily workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development process of a speech-based application tailored for nursing staff.
• To apply a user-centered design approach to ensure the application meets the specific needs of nurses.
• To enhance documentation efficiency and potentially improve job satisfaction among nursing personnel.

Main Methods:

• User requirements were gathered through interviews (n=6) and observations (n=6) across three healthcare institutions.
• Qualitative content analysis was employed to evaluate collected user requirements.
• A prototype was developed based on the derived system architecture and refined through a usability test (n=3).

Main Results:

• A functional speech-based application was developed, enabling nurses to dictate personal notes.
• The application facilitates sharing of dictated notes among colleagues.
• The system allows for the transmission of notes into existing documentation systems, streamlining workflows.

Conclusions:

• The user-centered design approach effectively incorporated the requirements of nursing staff.
• The developed speech-based application has the potential to support nurses and improve documentation processes.
• Continued application of user-centered design is recommended for further development and optimization.