Lumi: empowering patients and connecting care
by Clara Torres & Mika Sinclair
Welcome to Lumi, a project that aims to empower patients and revolutionize the way care is connected.
Driven by the vision of prioritizing the fulfillment of the patient’s unique needs, this project aims to support patients by actively involving them in their medical journey. In addition, Lumi seeks to bridge the gap between patients, caregivers, and doctors, fostering seamless communication and collaboration. With a transformative mission, Lumi sets out to enhance the healthcare experience for all stakeholders involved.
Problem Area
In the process of developing Lumi, we identified a crucial problem area within the healthcare system. Through extensive research and engagement with the medical industry, we discovered a recurring pattern of challenges faced by patients, doctors, and family members: the cycle of medication routines, symptom tracking, doctor follow-ups and medication prescription for patients living at home presented significant hurdles.
Challenges
- One of the primary challenges we observed was the difficulty patients faced during doctor meetings. Remembering routine details and symptoms proved overwhelming, hampering effective communication. This posed challenges for doctors as well, as they struggled to diagnose accurately and establish trust within limited time frames.
- Prescribing medication came with its own set of obstacles, including insufficient time for detailed explanations, impacting patient trust and adherence.
- Patients also encountered difficulties in taking medication correctly, organizing their schedules, and maintaining motivation.
- Symptom tracking proved unreliable as patients mostly rely on memory to track them over extended periods. Their temporary or intermittent nature further complicates their accurate reporting. External factors that can impact their condition, such as lifestyle habits are also oftentimes overlooked.
Our goal moving forward was to address these issues and find innovative solutions to improve the healthcare experience for all.
01 . Concept
The final concept revolves around a physical logbook where patients can record relevant information about medication, lifestyle, and overall well-being. This information is then logged into a digital application, which not only provides valuable feedback to the patients but also enables comprehensive discussions with doctors through data overviews.
The Patient’s Device
The core of the Lumi system is the button board, which is placed in the patients’ home and where they can log their data on a daily or regular basis. This device is connected to a tablet that displays additional supportive information for the patient.
Digital vs Physical
The button board is a tangible device that addresses accessibility concerns for patients with technological illiteracy or cognitive conditions. It offers familiar interaction and a tangible record, fostering a sense of ownership and control. By choosing this solution, we aimed to bridge the gap between technology and patient needs, delivering a reliable experience.
Overall Wellbeing
The device encourages patients to log medication adherence, symptoms, meals, and engagement in physical, social, and recreational activities, offering a comprehensive overview of their daily life. By capturing this extensive information, it provides valuable insights that inform doctors’ decisions to enhance overall well-being.
Modular
The device is technically flexible, with an adaptable button grid that can be customized based on user needs. The button board allows for different button configurations and tracking options. Additionally, depending on the patient’s cognitive abilities, the screen-based interface can be removed, allowing standalone use of the button board.
Interface
The tablet interface displays straightforward information based on the patient’s input. When a button is pressed, the screen promptly presents relevant information, such as medication doses, occasional recommendations, and symptom alerts. The device places a strong emphasis on maintaining a non-intrusive approach.
The Caregiver’s Side
The tablet has a dual function, featuring an overview mode that enables caregivers, family members and home care nurses to review and discuss the patient’s logged information.
Overview Mode
Activated by removing the device from its base, this mode transforms the tablet into a comprehensive report, presenting details and relevant data in a simple and scrollable format. By fostering shared understanding and facilitating informed decision-making, this mode enhances the ability to provide tailored support for patients.
Privacy
The application allows caregivers to monitor the patient’s status while prioritizing patient privacy needs. Patients can choose not to share all details, and the interface restricts access accordingly. All information is only displayed to the doctor, as we will elaborate further.
The Doctor’s Side
The gathered information aims to improve the patient’s well-being, particularly during doctor-patient meetings, where it plays a vital role in guiding and enhancing their overall care.
Memory Burden
The collected data serves as valuable support during discussions about the patient’s well-being, alleviating the patient’s burden of recalling and remembering information. This shift in focus allows for a more solution-oriented approach to address their needs effectively.
Limited Time
By having early and consistent access to this information, doctors can adequately prepare beforehand, enabling them to effectively address the limited time constraints. This proactive approach helps optimize the time available and enhance the quality of care provided during meetings.
Correlations
The application integrates the gathered data to facilitate pattern recognition, identify potential declines, and improvements. Ultimately, initiating meaningful conversations about how to support the patient.
02 . Process
Lumi was developed through a 10-week project, during which the team actively engaged in different activities to gain a deep understanding of the healthcare system and the perspectives of all stakeholders.
Field Research
Our field research was crucial in understanding the entire system. We visited health institutions like Health Centers, Geriatric Clinics, Home Health Care services, and Emergency Rooms, engaging with doctors, nurses, and researchers to gain insights. Read more about here:
Experience Prototyping
We conducted an experience prototyping exercise to understand the challenges faced by elderly patients. By simulating their medication regimen based on a provided list, we encountered difficulties such as, forgetfulness, taking wrong medication and scheduling conflicts. This exercise allowed us to gain firsthand insights into their experiences.
Interviews and Workshops
Throughout the project, we conducted interviews with doctors and patients to gather their personal pain points. Additionally, we organized workshops with stakeholders to generate and validate concepts. These interactions informed our understanding and shaped effective solutions.
Lo-fi and Hi-fi Prototyping
We created a range of prototypes, starting from low-fidelity designs to high-fidelity models. These prototypes served two purposes: refining our concept and facilitating decision-making, as well as showcasing our solution to stakeholders. This iterative process allowed us to make necessary adjustments and effectively communicate our ideas.
03 . Reflection 💭
During our project, we embraced specific values that shaped the way we designed how our device interacted with patients and how patients and other stakeholders interacted with each other. These values were derived from the problems we aimed to solve. We identified three main values to maintain focus and priorities.
- Empowering patients by prioritizing agency. This drove our decisive decision to use a tangible interface, and make it acessible as possible to them. Ensuring patient agency was essential, even if it meant overcoming extra challenges.
- Enhancing patients’ well-being. We implemented a tracking system that extended beyond medication and symptoms, capturing habits, routines, and their connection to prescriptions. Through this approach, we realized the significance of understanding the broader context of patients’ lives and how it impacted their well-being.
- Connecting care, between patients, doctors and caregivers. We recognized that an effective patient-doctor relationship required a balance that preserved patient autonomy, negotiation of perspectives and mutual trust. Privacy concerns related with caregivers prompted us to redefine information boundaries.
Overall, these values served as guiding principles, influencing our decision-making and steering the trajectory of our concepts. By prioritizing patient empowerment, well-being, and connection and communication, we aspired to create meaningful and impactful solutions that address the unique needs of patients and contribute to a more patient-centric healthcare system.
