Reducing Surgical Complications
Designing a mobile app and leading clinical and operational changes across 21 hospitals to support patients recovering at home after an orthopedic surgery instead of a two day post-op hospital stay, resulting in lower complication rates, hospital costs, higher patient satisfaction and better clinical team resource allocation. The outcomes from this work gained national attention and received the NCQA Innovation Award.
Product Strategist
Jessica Galin
Challenge: Shifting an ingrained mindset
Opting for home recovery after an orthopedic procedure can expedite healing, decrease complications, and lower hospital expenses. It also allows folkx to maintain their autonomy and shape their healing journey. However, current hospital systems are structured to admit patients for a two-day inpatient stay after a complex orthopedic surgery and patients have come to expect this standard approach.
Recovering at home can be daunting and requires a significant shift in mindset and approach for both patients and hospital systems alike
Designing when human lives are at stake
Allowing patients to recover at home after orthopedic surgery carries significant risks, including the potential for complications like infections, inadequate pain management, and delays in recognizing serious issues that require immediate medical intervention.
When patient-care team connectivity is compromised, there’s a greater chance that critical signs of complications could go unnoticed, jeopardizing the patient's recovery and overall health. The mobile app design centered around addressing this critical risk while accounting for additional patient and surgeon needs.
A sound design anchored in clinical, operational, and user research
To prepare surgeons, clinical and administrative teams for the home recovery care pathway across 21 hospitals in Northern California, I partnered with orthopedic surgeons across the medical centers to design and lead clinical and operational transformation.
To help patients feel supported throughout the home recovery process, I designed an app to ensure connectivity, and address key patient concerns around tracking progress, staying informed, and automating reminders.
Results: Recipient of the NCQA Innovation Award
We significantly improved patient experience scores and reduced recovery-related complications across all 21 locations. We also saw a positive uptick in care team well-being as their time was better utilized.
Our experience design work received national attention and we were awarded the NCQA Innovation Award at the annual conference.
*Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this work, I'm limited in the amount I can share re:quantitative stats. Reach out for a full case study.
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