I worked with a team of four other students to design for a 56 year old male physician and a 46 female nurse. Our research led us to design a device that helped faciliate communication between a medical provider, MA, and patient. The final product was presented to Welch Allyn in December 2011.

Each person has a designated piece of the object with a specific function. As the appointment progresses, the pieces come together to embody the information collected from the patient.

Research involved interviews of our demographic and shadowing a doctors office in which we learned about existing technology. The office that was shadowed had an up-to-date system and was a part of a medical network consisting of multiple offices throughout the region.

How to facilitate communication? According to one of the interviewed physicians, most of the diagnoses he makes are based on listening to the patient rather than test results.

Once the device passes from patient to medical assistant, different security measures are unlocked to activate the electronic medical record. Only the medical provider has clearance to sign off on prescriptions, assign billing codes and access other post-appointment processes.