Human-centered design is gaining traction in healthcare as patients demand a more convenient, seamless care process.
Allscripts hosted a webinar April 13 titled "The next era of IT: A human-centered approach" featuring Sharlie Smith, Allscripts' director of portfolio and value management for the large hospital and health systems business unit, and Jenna Date, chief experience officer for Allscripts' hospitals and health systems business unit.
The ideal healthcare platforms include care coordination, analytics and consumer engagement capabilities, said Ms. Smith. The platforms should be interoperable and seamlessly integrate into the clinical workflow for intelligent intervention when needed for better patient outcomes.
By 2024, 60 percent of healthcare organizations' IT infrastructure will be built on data platforms using artificial intelligence for process automation and decision-making, according to a 2020 IDC FutureScope report. The report also projected 65 percent of patients will have access to care through a digital front door, including virtual visits, chat bots and online patient scheduling.
"Consumer engagement applications should be mobile with a seamless experience for the patient care coordination and care interoperability," said Ms. Smith.
These changes require human-centered design thinking to develop a viable plan and achieve desired results. Allscripts' products and services support organizations on their journey to become more patient-centric.
"When we talk about platform and health at Allscripts, we are referring to an evolution of the traditional EHR, moving from electronic order entry and documentation systems to a platform of health that digitally transforms how we are providing care," said Ms. Smith. "The platform of health should be a composition of fully integrated solutions that serve all venues of care and provide hospitals and health systems with a single harmonized record, and it should be cloud native to allow for accessibility, scalability and ability to deliver new features and services quickly with no downtimes."
Allscripts has been using human-centered design concepts for almost a decade, focusing on a five-step process:
· Setting the scope of the issue
· Research
· Synthesize findings
· Ideate new futures
· Rapidly iterate prototypes
The prototypes are tested and built upon to serve patients and clinicians better. Ms. Date joined Allscripts six months ago to optimize the synergies between education, design and innovation.
"We serve as a catalyst of change and growth to drive innovative product design and development, educational excellence and brilliant futures, and how we do that is focusing on empathy for the humans that are using our products, for our team and each other, and for the communities we serve," she said. "We really are focusing now on joy and delight in everyone's daily lives."