Re-triage, Bed Availability Real-time Tracking Tool
Re-triage, Bed Availability
Real-time Tracking Tool
Chicago, United States, Product Design
Chicago, United States, Product Design
What is Re-triage? When a patient is decided to transfer from a lower level facility to a higher level facility in the hospital. This project aims to enhance emergency patient retriage by integrating real-time bed availability data into the EMResource platform, creating a dashboard to improve patient transfer efficiency.
MY ROLE
MY ROLE
UI Design | UX Research | User Testing | Design Thinking
UI/UX Design | User Testing | Qualitative Research
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
6 months
[Jun. 2023- Dec. 2023 ]
6 months
[Jun. 2023- Dec. 2023 ]
Re-triage, Bed Availability Real-time Tracking Tool
Chicago, United States, Product Design
This project aims to enhance emergency patient retriage by integrating real-time bed availability data into the EMResource platform.
ROLE
UI Design | UX Research | User Testing | Design Thinking
TIMELINE
6 months
[Jun. 2023- Dec. 2023 ]
Background
What is Re-triage? When a patient is decided to transfer from a lower level facility to a higher level facility in the hospital. This project aims to enhance emergency patient retriage by integrating real-time bed availability data into the EMResource platform, creating a dashboard to improve patient transfer efficiency.
As a B2B enterprise, EMResource plays a critical role in facilitating interactions between sending and receiving healthcare facilities.
Background
When a patient transfers from a lower-level facility to a higher-level facility, the process is called Re-triage. Right now, the only contact between the sending and receiving hospitals is PHONE CALL in Illinois. Time matters! Real-time updates matter!
How might we enhance the internal tracking tools to streamline the decision-making process for nurses and physicians, ensuring faster, more accurate patient transfers between different-level hospitals?
Design Process
Research: Understand Re-triage process and the Service
Understand the Current User Journey
Hospital On-site Visit
Competitive & Comparative Analysis
Initial User Interviews
Research Synthesis
Critique & Revision
Create Service Blueprint
User Personas
Insights & Pain points
Storyboards & Wireframes
Early Design Direction
Design & Iterate: Prototyping and Iterate
Design System
Low-fi Prototypes & Design Critique
User Testing Interviews & Feedback
Collaboration with EMResource
Hi-fi Prototypes
Presentation to CDPH
INSIGHT 1: Enhancing Patient Care
Re-triage ensures that critically ill patients are moved to appropriate care settings like ICU beds as their conditions evolve, improving overall patient outcomes.
INSIGHT 2: Efficient Bed Management
Re-triage helps optimize bed allocation by using real-time data on hospital capacity and patient needs, reducing delays and better-utilizing hospital resources.
INSIGHT 3: Improved Communication
Re-triage depends on effective communication between sending and receiving facilities. Real-time updates and efficient information sharing are key to ensuring timely patient transfers.
INSIGHT 4: Overseeing Re-Triage Operations
Effective oversight of the re-triage process ensures that healthcare teams can continuously monitor patient conditions, facility capacities, and resource availability.
Background
When a patient transfers from a lower-level facility to a higher-level facility, the process is called Re-triage. Right now, the only contact between the sending and receiving hospitals is PHONE CALL in Illinois. Time matters! Real-time updates matter!
How might we enhance the internal tracking tools to streamline the decision-making process for nurses and physicians, ensuring faster, more accurate patient transfers between different-level hospitals?
Design Process
Research: Understand Re-triage process and the Service
Understand the Current User Journey
Hospital On-site Visit
Competitive & Comparative Analysis
Initial User Interviews
Research Synthesis
Critique & Revision
Create Service Blueprint
User Personas
Insights & Pain points
Storyboards & Wireframes
Early Design Direction
Design & Iterate: Prototyping and Iterate
Design System
Low-fi Prototypes & Design Critique
User Testing Interviews & Feedback
Collaboration with EMResource
Hi-fi Prototypes
Presentation to CDPH
Design Process
Research: Understand Re-triage process and the Service
Understand the Current User Journey
Hospital On-site Visit
Competitive & Comparative Analysis
Social Listening
Initial User Interviews
Research Synthesis
CDPH Critique & Revision
Create Service Blueprint
User Personas
Insights & Pain points
Storyboards & Wireframes
Early Design Direction
Design & Iterate: Prototyping and Iterate
Design System
Low-fi Prototypes & Design Critique
User Testing Interviews & Feedback
Collaboration with EMResource
Hi-fi Prototypes
Presentation to CDPH
Design Outcome
Dashboard Design
Easily accessible, expandable "Source of Truth" enables teams to review fundamental carrier information.
Hospital Data & Resources
Hospital data and nearby resources on the map are key factors in the Re-triage decision-making process. Presenting them on the map increase the efficiency by decreasing time looking for information.
Contact Details
Consolidating receiving hospital related data from various internal sources, all unified in a single location. Reducing the steps to make decisions when saving a patient's life.
Design Outcome
Dashboard Design
Easily accessible, expandable "Source of Truth" enables teams to review fundamental carrier information.
Hospital Data & Resources
Hospital's data and nearby resources on the map are key factors in the Re-triage decision-making process. Presenting them on the map and increase the efficiency by decreasing time looking for information.
Contact Details
Consolidating receiving hospital related data from various internal sources, all unified in a single location. Reducing the steps to make decisions when saving a patient's life.
Design Outcome
Dashboard Design
Easily accessible, expandable "Source of Truth" enables teams to review fundamental carrier information.
Hospital Data & Resources
Hospital's data and nearby resources on the map are key factors in the Re-triage decision-making process. Presenting them on the map and increase the efficiency by decreasing time looking for information.
Contact Details
Consolidating receiving hospital related data from various internal sources, all unified in a single location. Reducing the steps to make decisions when saving a patient's life.
Emily C.
Bed Manager,
Receiving Facility
Age: 34
Location: Chicago, IL
Hospital: Loyola Hospital
Employee Time: 3 years
GOALS
Responsible for bed management process during trauma re-triage.
Receives a transfer request from a transfer center / sending facility, requesting an ICU bed for a patient.
Pain Points
Lacks of real-time communication with the sending facilities
Late real-time updates on the hospital internal platform
Jumping around different platforms causes inefficiency and mistakes
Jason H.
Doctor,
Sending Hospital
Age: 44
Location: Chicago, IL
Hospital: NM
Employee Time: 4 Years
GOALS
Decides to re-triage a patient as soon as possible to an ICU bed nearby.
Direct the HUC logs onto the platform and finds Loyola hospital is open to accept patients.
Pain Points
Limited communication (phone call) with the receiving facilities
Late real-time updates on the hospital internal platform
Lacks of an efficient way to check bed availability
Who are users?
Understand the Process - Collaboration with EMResource
Re-triage is a process where the severity of a patient's condition is reassessed when there is a clinical need for it. Re-triage does not feature in conventional triage, where the patients with non-urgent consideration will have to wait to be treated on a first come first serve basis.
And now, we are collaborating with EMResource, an online platform that facilitates interactions between sending and receiving healthcare facilities.
Who are the users? Doctors and Nurses!
Nurses and Doctors are responsible for deciding on patient transfers to different hospitals.
They currently utilize a suite of internal tracking tools for managing various hospital beds. These tools are not just integral to their daily operations; they serve as a reliable source of truth, enable real-time tracking, assist in hospital searches, and provide a platform for problem resolution.
Sending Facility
Jason H.
Doctor
Age: 44
Location: Chicago, IL
Hospital: NM
Employee Time: 4 Years
GOALS
Ensure the swift re-triage of critical patients to the nearest available bed to improve patient outcomes.
Utilize the hospital's platform to efficiently locate and confirm the nearest hospital with available ICU beds for patient transfer.
Pain Points
Communication with receiving facilities is restricted to phone calls, leading to potential delays and miscommunication.
The hospital platform provides delayed updates, reducing the ability to make timely, informed decisions
No efficient, centralized system to quickly verify bed availability across facilities.
GOALS
Oversee and optimize bed management during trauma re-triage to ensure the most effective allocation of available beds.
Respond promptly to transfer requests from sending facilities by ensuring real-time coordination and bed availability for critical patients.
Pain Points
Delayed communication with sending facilities, hindering the immediate response to incoming patient needs.
Internal platform updates bed availability and patient information with delays, impacting resource allocation.
Multiple platforms for bed management lead to inefficiencies, increasing the risk of human errors during urgent cases."
Receiving Facility
Emily C.
Bed Manager,
Receiving Facility
Age: 34
Location: Chicago, IL
Hospital: Loyola Hospital
Employee Time: 3 years
Understand the process
Re-triage is a process where the severity of a patient's condition is reassessed when there is a clinical need for it. Re-triage does not feature in conventional triage, where the patients with non-urgent consideration will have to wait to be treated on a first come first serve basis.
And now, we are collaborating with EMResource, an online platform that facilitates interactions between sending and receiving healthcare facilities.
Why did we choose EMResource?
*This service blueprint is a visual representation of the decision-making process for a patient to Re-triage, outlining all actions occurring at each phase, executed by the various roles participating. Following initial discussions with the bed manager and the nursers, we developed this service blueprint to assist in comparing different journeys within a single framework, ultimately enabling us to comprehend how to effectively redesign for optimal team service.
Understand the Process
Re-triage is a process where the severity of a patient's condition is reassessed when there is a clinical need for it. Re-triage does not feature in the conventional triage, where the patients with non-urgent consideration will have to wait to be treated on a first come first serve basis.
And now, we are collaborating with EMResource, an online platform that facilitates interactions between sending and receiving healthcare facilities.
Challenge
Pain Points & Problem Statement
How might we enhance the EMResource tools to streamline the decision-making process for nurses and bed managers, ensuring faster, more accurate patient transfers between hospitals, while maintaining a user-friendly interface for various healthcare environments?
Learning from Oregon Team and Arkansas's team that there's a platform called EMResource provides real-time tracking. API provided by Juvare. Understanding the current solutions to improve bed tracking efficiency.
After doing research…
Challenge
Pain Points & Problem Statement
How might we enhance the EMResource tools to streamline the decision-making process for nurses and bed managers, ensuring faster, more accurate patient transfers between hospitals, while maintaining a user-friendly interface for various healthcare environments?
INSIGHT 1: Enhancing Patient Care
Re-triage ensures that critically ill patients are moved to appropriate care settings like ICU beds as their conditions evolve, improving overall patient outcomes.
INSIGHT 2: Efficient Bed Management
Re-triage helps optimize bed allocation by using real-time data on hospital capacity and patient needs, reducing delays and better-utilizing hospital resources.
INSIGHT 3: Improved Communication
Re-triage depends on effective communication between sending and receiving facilities. Real-time updates and efficient information sharing are key to ensuring timely patient transfers.
INSIGHT 4: Overseeing Re-Triage Operations
Effective oversight of the re-triage process ensures that healthcare teams can continuously monitor patient conditions, facility capacities, and resource availability.
Learning from Oregon Team and Arkansas's team that there's a platform called EMResource provides real-time tracking. API provided by Juvare. Understanding the current solutions to improve bed tracking efficiency.
After doing research…
Final Design Details
Why we decided to choose EMResource?
*This service blueprint is a visual representation of the decision-making process for a patient to Re-triage, outlining all actions occurring at each phase, executed by the various roles participating. Following initial discussions with the bed manager and the nursers, we developed this service blueprint to assist in comparing different journeys within a single framework, ultimately enabling us to comprehend how to effectively redesign for optimal team service.
After doing research…
Learning from Oregon Team and Arkansas's team that there's a platform called EMResource provides real-time tracking. API provided by Juvare. Understanding the current solutions to improve bed tracking efficiency.
Next Steps
- User testing with participants who closely worked for Re-triage, such as nurses, doctors, bed managers, etc. We've scheduled 6 conversations. This user testing sessions is to gain their perspective on how this intervention could be implemented at their institution most effectively.
- Iterate on the Prototype based on the user testing feedback. Continue to work with the CDPH and EMResource, discussing how to make the integration of data aims to enhance overall efficiency and precision, leading to an improved and more accurate system.
Key Takeaways
- Emphasizing Process in Healthcare UX Design:
- In healthcare UX, the journey is as crucial as the destination. While aesthetic appeal is important, I focus on a thorough, iterative design process.
- This approach ensures that the end product not looks good andances efficiency, safety, and patient care in healthcare settings. Patience and attention to detail in the design process lead to meaningful solutions.
- Navigating Ambiguity in Startup Environments:
- Working with startups often involves navigating ambiguity. I've learned to embrace this uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation.
- By continuously revisiting and refining our design research, and proactively seeking the next steps, we turn ambiguity into clarity. This proactive stance is key in developing adaptable, user-centered solutions in dynamic startup environments.
Final Design Details
Challenge
Pain Points & Problem Statement
How might we enhance the EMResource tools to streamline the decision-making process for nurses and bed managers, ensuring faster, more accurate patient transfers between hospitals, while maintaining a user-friendly interface for various healthcare environments?
INSIGHT 1: Enhancing Patient Care
Re-triage ensures that critically ill patients are moved to appropriate care settings like ICU beds as their conditions evolve, improving overall patient outcomes.
INSIGHT 2: Efficient Bed Management
Re-triage helps optimize bed allocation by using real-time data on hospital capacity and patient needs, reducing delays and better-utilizing hospital resources.
INSIGHT 3: Improved Communication
Re-triage depends on effective communication between sending and receiving facilities. Real-time updates and efficient information sharing are key to ensuring timely patient transfers.
INSIGHT 4: Overseeing Re-Triage Operations
Effective oversight of the re-triage process ensures that healthcare teams can continuously monitor patient conditions, facility capacities, and resource availability.
Final Design Details
Next Steps
- User testing with participants who closely worked for Re-triage, such as nurses, doctors, bed managers, etc. We've scheduled 6 conversations. This user testing sessions is to gain their perspective on how this intervention could be implemented at their institution most effectively.
- Iterate on the Prototype based on the user testing feedback. Continue to work with the CDPH and EMResource, discussing how to make the integration of data aims to enhance overall efficiency and precision, leading to an improved and more accurate system.
Key Takeaways
- Emphasizing Process in Healthcare UX Design:
- In healthcare UX, the journey is as crucial as the destination. While aesthetic appeal is important, my focus is on a thorough, iterative design process.
- This approach ensures that the end product not only looks good but also enhances efficiency, safety, and patient care in healthcare settings. Patience and attention to detail in the design process lead to meaningful solutions.
- Navigating Ambiguity in Startup Environments:
- Working with startups often involves navigating ambiguity. I've learned to embrace this uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation.
- By continuously revisiting and refining our design research, and proactively seeking the next steps, we turn ambiguity into clarity. This proactive stance is key in developing adaptable, user-centered solutions in dynamic startup environments.
Next Steps
- User testing with participants who closely worked for Re-triage, such as nurses, doctors, bed managers, etc. We've scheduled 6 conversations. This user testing sessions is to gain their perspective on how this intervention could be implemented at their institution most effectively.
- Iterate on the Prototype based on the user testing feedback. Continue to work with the CDPH and EMResource, discussing how to make the integration of data aims to enhance overall efficiency and precision, leading to an improved and more accurate system.
Key Takeaways
- Emphasizing Process in Healthcare UX Design:
- In healthcare UX, the journey is as crucial as the destination. While aesthetic appeal is important, my focus is on a thorough, iterative design process.
- This approach ensures that the end product not only looks good but also enhances efficiency, safety, and patient care in healthcare settings. Patience and attention to detail in the design process lead to meaningful solutions.
- Navigating Ambiguity in Startup Environments:
- Working with startups often involves navigating ambiguity. I've learned to embrace this uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation.
- By continuously revisiting and refining our design research, and proactively seeking the next steps, we turn ambiguity into clarity. This proactive stance is key in developing adaptable, user-centered solutions in dynamic startup environments.
Who are the users?
Nurses and Doctors are responsible for deciding on patient transfers to different hospitals.
They currently utilize a suite of internal tracking tools for managing various hospital beds. These tools are not just integral to their daily operations; they serve as a reliable source of truth, enable real-time tracking, assist in hospital searches, and provide a platform for problem resolution.
Sending Facility
Jason H.
Doctor
Age: 44
Location: Chicago, IL
Hospital: NM
Employee Time: 4 Years
GOALS
Oversee and optimize bed management during trauma re-triage to ensure the most effective allocation of available beds.
Respond promptly to transfer requests from sending facilities by ensuring real-time coordination and bed availability for critical patients.
Pain Points
Delayed communication with sending facilities, hindering the immediate response to incoming patient needs.
Internal platform updates bed availability and patient information with delays, impacting resource allocation.
Multiple platforms for bed management lead to inefficiencies, increasing the risk of human errors during urgent cases."
Receiving Facility
Emily C.
Bed Manager,
Receiving Facility
Age: 34
Location: Chicago, IL
Hospital: Loyola Hospital
Employee Time: 3 years
GOALS
Oversee and optimize bed management during trauma re-triage to ensure the most effective allocation of available beds.
Respond promptly to transfer requests from sending facilities by ensuring real-time coordination and bed availability for critical patients.
Pain Points
Delayed communication with sending facilities, hindering the immediate response to incoming patient needs.
Internal platform updates bed availability and patient information with delays, impacting resource allocation.
Multiple platforms for bed management lead to inefficiencies, increasing the risk of human errors during urgent cases."