PIVOT
Design solution for medical emergency
Designs that improve the communication system during a medical emergency. How can patient information handoff become more standardized to improve medical emergency situations?
Solution 3
Standardized handoff process
Medical staffs hand off patients information in a more standardized, intuitive method through PIVOT app.
View user groups/flows
Solution 2
Access patient information quickly and easily
Medical staffs scan patients pivot using PIVOT App to access their information
View final Prototype of PIVOT App
Project Overview
Solution 1
Versatile wearable medical chip
Patients wear PIVOT in any form they prefer, necklace, bracelet, etc, and input medical information.
View renderings of PIVOT Wearable
RESEARCH
The Problem
When considering a medical emergency, two main issues arise: emotional challenges and procedural difficulties. Patients and their guardians feel anxious and stressed due to the procedural challenges faced in the emergency department.
23%
of medical errors in hospitals are due to communication failures during patient handoff
63%
of nurses report at least one incident of communication failure during patient handoff
59%
of internal medicine and general surgery physicians had witnessed harm to one or more patients due to poor patient handover
stroke patient identified
On the way to the nearest Emergency room
EMT verbally hands off patient’s information to the nurse
Nurse verbally hands off patient’s information to the doctor
Doctors communicate verbally to diagnose and treat patient
Nurses asks patient the same question repeatedly
How do patients and their guardians feel?
I interviewed 5 people who have experience with their loved ones being at an emergency room or have experience being at an emergency room themselves
Frustrated
Stressed
Anxious
21 years old, College student
"When I visited the ER, the nurses and staffs asked me the same question over and over again, which I felt like made the process delayed"
50 years old, has an elderly parent
“After my dad visited the emergency room once, I am always afraid that he will run into another medical emergency when he’s alone”
22 years old, College student
“I’m mostly concerned that the treatment will be delayed due to the lack of medical information about my grandpa”
RESEARCH
What is being done?
Tools and products that are currently being used
Medical bracelet, color coded hospital bracelets, emergency call devices, and the I-Pass tool are the 4 products and systems that are being used to improve procedural and emotional challenges in an emergency situation. What are the pros and cons of each product?
1
Research reviews of each product
2
Categorizing data points into user groups
3
Product/procedure and what it solves
DEFINE
What should be done?
1
Communicate directly with the ED provider responsible for the patient's care
2
Increase interdisciplinary feedback, transparency between EMS staffs and hospital staffs
3
Standardize aspects of the handoff
4
Harness technology to close gaps in information exchange
(Meisel et al., 2015)
Parallel to “Pivoted”
Currently, during a patient handoff, patient information travels in a horizontal, parallel manner which increases chances of miscommunication, process delay, misinformation and repetitiveness. For a better handoff for both patients/guardians and medical staffs, patients’ information should be pivoted.
Current handoff
Standardized handoff
DEFINE
Problem to goal to features
PROBLEM
Guardians feel stressed and anxious about their patients
GOAL
Allow more freedom for patients without concerns for medical emergencies
FEATURE
Portable, accessible medical document that can easily be viewed by first responders
PROBLEM
Frustrations due to inefficient emergency treatment process
GOAL
Minimize possibilities for misinformation and miscommunication
FEATURE
Transparent handoff process across all medical staffs through a standardized app
PROBLEM
Communication failure during patient handoff
GOAL
Increased efficiency in medical emergency situations
FEATURE
Intuitive communication system across all medical staffs regarding patient information
DESIGN
Ideation
User groups + User flow
There exist three distinct user groups and stakeholders for PIVOT. What actions does each group employ to enhance their sense of security and optimize patient handoff using PIVOT?
Patients and guardians
Hospital Staffs
First responders (EMT)
DELIVER
PIVOT Products
PIVOT Wearables
Pivot block
Wristband
Keychain
PIVOT App
Staff version
Pivot app
Guardian/Patient version
Pivot app
PIVOT Block
Dual access to patient information: NFC chip or QR code
Different colors of lights indicate basic medical alerts: Allergies, DNR, latex allergy, fall risk
Keychain
Wristband
DELIVER
PIVOT App
Prototype Video
Scan PIVOT Wearable
Medical staffs access patients medical information by scanning their PIVOT wearable. This reduces repetitiveness and redundancy in medical emergency situations.
Access patient's medical information
View patient's medical conditions, medications, allergies, emergency contacts, and notes. Effective for when patient's unconscious or isn't able to communicate
Standardized handoff through app
View what other staffs have said about patient's status, treatment and actions. This can be in text form or voice recorded form.
Other Works