Digital Support of Interprofessional Communication in Clinical Healthcare. Creation of a Criteria Catalogue and Design of an Application Based Communication System Mockup

Aim and Research Question(s)

The aims of this work were (1) to provide an overview of the essential aspects of interprofessional communication and collaboration in the clinical healthcare setting, as well as the usability of mobile devices in terms of user interface design, (2) based on this information, to create an appropriate set of criteria for evaluating mobile employee applications, and (3) to determine which adaptations to the Lolyo app can be represented by creating an appropriate mockup (i-ProC), in order to finally show a digital way of promoting interprofessional communication and collaboration in clinical healthcare.

Background

In the common literature and studies the problems of interprofessional communication, especially in healthcare and hospital settings, are well known and described. These problems can lead to medical errors, which in turn can cause serious injury or even unexpected death [1]. So, the digital solution could be an employee app for the hospital to create an interactive and mobile communication channel for information transfer, exchanging ideas and providing access to services and offers, without the need of a desktop workstation [2].

Methods

A comprehensive literature review was conducted. With the collected information and application of three Use Case Scenarios, a criteria catalogue was created. Based on this criteria catalogue, four mobile employee applications (Lolyo, Coyo, Beekeeper, Zoho People) were evaluated. Subsequently, a mockup of an employee app (i-ProC) was created, whose structure and functions are based on the assessment results as well as on the Lolyo app itself.

Results and Discussion

A total of eleven criteria (6 criteria of interprofessional communication and collaboration, 5 usability criteria of user interface design), which contain a total of 28 features and 66 requirements, could be defined. In the employee app assessment, the Zoho People app achieved the best result with a total of 82 points out of a possible 132 points. In contrast, the Lolyo app received a total of 78 points. This resulted in a mean score of 78.25 points, which corresponds to 59.28%.Figure 1: Mobile Employee Applications - Total Points
Based on these results, it was possible to define 17 elements that could be added to the Lolyo app. This adaptation was carried out in the form of the mockup of the i-ProC employee app. Figure 2: i-ProC Example Screens

Conclusion

Adaptation of the interprofessional communication and collaboration features of mobile employee apps, as well as further exploration of the impact of mobile employee apps on interprofessional communication and collaboration in clinical healthcare would be recommended.

References

[1] O’Daniel, M., & Rosenstein, A. H. (2008). Professional Communication and Team Collaboration. In R. G. Hughes (Hrsg.), Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2637/; [2] Lolyo.at. (2021, August 12). LOLYO - Die beliebte Mitarbeiter-App, die ALLE verbindet und motiviert. https://www.lolyo.at