Designing Better Healthcare Test Reports for Patients

Abstract

Electronic medical records are becoming a reality at hospitals and doctor’s offices. They promise instant access but not instant understanding for the patient because they have always been designed for the clinician. This article provides some guidance in designing better healthcare test reports for the patients’ needs through application of basic human information processing principles and software design patterns. Two common test panel reports given to patients either during review of annual physical examinations or during review of surveillance testing for cancer reoccurrence are provided and critiqued in this paper from the patient perspective. Then mockups of proposed next generation reports for patients during these types of doctor office visits are provided during the conference poster session. Human Factors practitioners and consultants in the healthcare informatics industry will find this information useful in designing electronic health records and reports for patients and consumers.