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Abstract:
Over the past century we have seen tremendous medical advancements and human life expectancy has nearly doubled. With these grand steps forward health communication has become esoteric. Doctors appointments are rushed, confusing and often times overwhelming. Add in the frustration of dealing with multiple doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, nurses and treatment options, one faces a confusing arrangement. Within such a context, how can patients digest, understand, and use complex and often intricate information?
Acting as your own advocate can be extremely difficult. Today's patients not only consult their doctors, but often times look online. Google, WebMD and online networks act now as personal consultants, giving rise to an evolution in medical communication. "This movement, known as Health 2.0, can be defined as: the use of social software and its ability to promote collaboration between patients, their caregivers, medical professionals, and other stakeholders in health" (Sarasohn-Kahn, 2). This online communication is a lifeline for many patients. "For individuals facing illness whose support needs are not met by their traditional support network, the Internet allows them to find other people with similar health concerns and provides an opportunity to obtain support from a much larger network than would be possible in the face to face world" (Wright, 160).
The larger the access to online information, the greater the possibility of being exposed to unreliable and less credible resources. Only 15% of patients check the source and date of online health information, which means that 85 million Americans gathering health advice online do not consistently examine the information they gather (Fox, Online Health Search 2006, 4). The majority of patients are accessing user-generated health information online (Fox & Jones, 3), much of which is accumulated from various perspectives of medical thought—created by novices and health care professionals – whose date and origin have yet to be vetted. We find ourselves in the midst of a very elaborate design problem framed by complicated information structures, participatory culture and health literacy.
"Health literacy is the ability to read, understand and act on health information. People of any age, income, race or background can find it challenging to understand health-information" (Thomas, 99). When dealing with one's health and well-being it is imperative that they receive the right information in a timely manner. "Research shows that most consumers need help understanding healthcare information. Regardless of reading level, patients prefer medical information that is easy to read and understand" (Thomas, 99). This can be seen as an information design problem as it involves more than just managing complex information. Information design is "the ability to present the right information to the right people at the right time in the most effective and efficient form" (Horn, 16).
By examining patient needs, desires and experiences I am proposing a design case study to identify visual and interactive means to support and strengthen patient education and communication. I am focusing on how an iPad-based application can aid health care professionals in communicating effectively with their patients while supporting participatory health communities. I will present both research, development and interactive prototyping for an iPad application that includes the following:
1. Tools to visually show personalized medical protocol and process.
2. Tools that allow patients to understand credibility and transparency in medical information they find online.
3. An internal support system that brings together online social networking capabilities that support patient empowerment, community development and co-creation between members.
4. A personalized experience that helps patients archive their records and exchange documents with physicians.
In short, I am exploring how a visual communication designer can respond to current medical communication problems and identify a framework that will improve patient experience, communication and reduce information anxiety.
Works Cited
Fox, Sussannah. "Online Health Search 2006." Pew Internet and American Life Project, The Pew Research Center. Boston, MA, 29 Oct 2006. Web. 16 January 2011. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/Online-Health-Search-2006.aspx>
Fox, Susannah and Sydney Jones. "The Social Life of Health Information." Pew Internet and American Life Project, The Pew Research Center. Boston, MA, 11 June 2009. Web. 13 Dec 2010. <http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/8-The-Social-Life-of-Health-Information.aspx>
Horn, Robert. "Information Design: Emergence of a New Profession." Information Design. Ed. Robert Jacobson. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2000. Print.
Thomas, Richard K. Health Communication. New York, New York, Springer Science +Business Medai, 2006
Sarasohn-Kahn, Jane. "The Wisdom of Patients: Health Care Meets Online Social Media" California HealthCare Foundation, 22 April 2008. Web. 15 Dec 2010. <http://www.chcf.org/publications/2008/04/the-wisdom-of-patients-health-care-meets-online-social-media>
Wright, Kevin B, Lisa Sparks and H. Dan O'Hair. Health Communication in the 21st Century. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.