RESUMO
It is a truism that, for innovative eHealth systems to have true value and impact, they must first and foremost be usable and accessible by clinicians, consumers, and other stakeholders. In this paper, current trends and future challenges in the usability and accessibility of consumer health informatics will be described. Consumer expectations of their healthcare providers and healthcare records in this new era of consumer-directed care will be explored, and innovative visualizations, assistive technologies, and other ways that healthcare information is currently being provided and/or shared will be described. Challenges for ensuring the usability of current and future systems will also be discussed. An innovative model for conducting systematic, timely, user-centered research on consumer-facing websites at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the ongoing efforts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to promote health information technology (HIT) usability standards and evaluation criteria will also be presented.
Assuntos
Informação de Saúde ao Consumidor/organização & administração , Informática Médica/organização & administração , Modelos Organizacionais , Comportamento do Consumidor , Informação de Saúde ao Consumidor/normas , Informação de Saúde ao Consumidor/tendências , Registros Eletrônicos de Saúde/organização & administração , Registros de Saúde Pessoal , Humanos , Informática Médica/normas , Informática Médica/tendências , National Institutes of Health (U.S.) , Pesquisa/organização & administração , Estados UnidosRESUMO
A project was initiated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago focusing on patient satisfaction in the outpatient setting and how to improve it. Eight outpatient diagnostic areas were selected and a steering committee was formed. The team used patient satisfaction scores and patient and staff interviews to identify areas for improvement. Innovations were implemented in communications and information technology, staff role design, and process flow. Successes were realized in patient satisfaction above the 95th percentile, improved staff satisfaction, productivity, and internal and external recognition. The program serves as an organizationwide model supporting the hospital's Best Patient Experience strategic goal. This patient-focused model is being replicated in other areas of the hospital and can be replicated elsewhere.