EMILY KOBROFF
RESEARCH AFICIONADO, DATA SLEUTH
DellMedical.png

CERVICAL CANCER OUTREACH FOR THE DELL MEDICAL CENTER

The Dell Medical Center approached our Rapid Prototyping/Lean UX class to help them with a specific problem they are facing: how to remain in contact with a high-risk, low-income population. This population is most at risk for cervical cancer. Although the center had been given a grant to provide screenings to this population, thought was lacking around how to remain in contact with these patients in order to give them their results and do follow up screenings.

 
cervicalcancer.png

CERVICAL CANCER OUTREACH FOR THE DELL MEDICAL CENTER

 

PROJECT OVERVIEW

  • Timeframe: 1.5 months
  • Team size: 1
  • Role: UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer
  • Target user: Patients, Doctors
  • Platform: Mobile
  • Tools used: Sketch, InVision

 

The Dell Medical Center approached the iSchool's Rapid Prototyping/Lean UX class to help them with a specific problem they are facing: how to remain in contact with a high-risk, low-income population. This population is most at risk for cervical cancer. Although the center had been given a grant to provide screenings to this population, thought was lacking around how to remain in contact with these patients in order to give them their results and do follow up screenings.

This was an individual project.

DOCTOR VIEW

  • Doctor or other authorized user uploads results through manual entry, PDF scan, or camera scan to auto populate results
  • Doctor reviews results before release
  • Doctor is notified that results are available for review/release
  • Doctor must review because the software does not make diagnoses
  • Releases result with information on next steps to the patient

 

PATIENT VIEW

  • Let patient know results, what results mean, and what next steps are
  • Allow patient to find where to go to get follow up screenings
  • Allow patient to schedule an appointment
  • Notifications:
    • Remind patient of their upcoming appointment
    • Let patient know when nearby screening stations have been scheduled
  • Journal: Allow patients to submit their symptoms to show doctor later (select from list of symptoms, add notes and date)

 

GOALS

  • Accessibility
    • Allow patients to have access to their records and necessary information wherever they may be.
    • The optimized website platform allows for information to be transmitted on an array of devices.
  • Communication
    • The app opens a new avenue of communication beyond requiring patients to come back into the practice to find out their results.
    • This platform is working on two assumptions:
      • That it is easier to get access to the internet and/or a device to access records than going to a specific location to receive information. [Currently patients are required to come back in to get results.]
      • That patients have access to an email address, and have steadier access to an email address than a static phone number.
  • Ease of Use
    • Multiple ways of populating the patient’s results; an authorized user may upload the results from a PDF, using a device with a camera, or enter the information manually.

 


This platform does not serve as an algorithm to determine or evaluate what a patient’s result means. That onus is on the doctor to determine. In the creation of this platform I requested my own medical records from past pap smears and received PDFs that state what was found to be either positive or negative and if follow up or additional testing is required. By being able to scan that PDF into the system then key points of information can be sent to a patient in order for them to tell a provider what was found and what may be needed when going forward with the next steps. As this platform does not prescribe a diagnosis, this platform would not need to be regulated by the FDA.


A feature that is currently missing from this high-fidelity mockup is a clear-cut messaging system; the patient has the ability to send additional notes to the practice through the ‘schedule’ screen but it is not clear how the patient will receive information back from the practice. With more time I would flesh out a messaging and contact feature between patients and the practice.