Health Design Challenge- The Patient Record

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How can design help in healthcare?

The Health Design Challenge aims to redesign patient medical records. This project challenge is hosted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Through this competition they hope to have creative designers transform patient medical records that are in plain-text Blue Button file into a format that makes the information easy for patients to understand and improve the patient experience.

What is the purpose and uses of health record to the patient?

It is important to have access to your medical records. In emergency situations, having access to your records can be lifesaving. It can also help prevent medication and treatment errors. However, medical records and health information is often presented in an unorganized and unintelligible format, making it difficult for patients, caregivers, and physicians to understand and use.

What is the purpose of Health Design Challenge?

The purpose of the Health Design Challenge is to challenge designers to make medical records more useful and usable to patients and caregivers. This can be done by enriching plain-text Blue Button files with visuals and an easy to follow layout. The design must have the same sections and fields found in the Continuity of Care Document (CCD), and must also be in the same format. A CCD template is used to explain the medical history of a patient and is compatible with electronic medical record (EMR) software. Designers are encouraged to submit medical record designs that fit this goal.

This website has some great examples on how design can make a huge difference in healthcare. Wired redesigned a typical blood test report into an easy to read and very informative report for patients to better understand what the blood test results actually mean. Deborah Adler helped redesign Target’s prescription bottles to make medicine instructions easier to understand and to decrease medication errors. These case studies demonstrate the importance of design in the field of healthcare.

Check out the website for design requirements and how to submit your own design! The Health Design Challenge is a great opportunity for designers to help people understand and use their medical records. The chosen top designs will be displayed on the website and showcased at the Annual ONC Meeting in Washington DC.

Learn more about the Health Design Challenge at: healthdesignchallenge.com