Design opportunities for supporting patient information needs during an emergency visit

Recent technologies, such as online patient portals, mobile apps and various health-related information websites, provide information to patients. However, these systems often only provide pre-defined categories of information for patients to browse through, instead of providing information that can meet patients' situated information needs during their ongoing care process, particularly during an emergency visit when information is lacking the most. To understand what information is desired by patients during this time and why they need this information, we conducted an ethnographic study with patients during their ED visits. We report various phases of the patient care trajectory and describe the three types of information wanted by patients: medicine-related, ED care process-driven, and care plan-oriented. We then discuss how these different types of information needs are related to the overall patient care trajectory, highlighting the situational and temporal aspects of information needs. Finally, we identify key design opportunities for pervasive computing technology to support patients during a short-term hospital stay.

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