Challenge 3: Simplifying how complex information is provided to patients

Challenge Statement: How might we simplify complex healthcare information for patients and carers in a way that empowers and builds capability.

Supporting mentors 

  • Dr Kien Chan – Consultant Geriatrician, North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) 
  • Dr Sarah Bernard – Consultant Geriatrician, NMHS 
  • Stephanie Thomson – Senior Social Worker, Stroke Rehabilitation, NMHS 
  • Lived-experience advocate – to be advised whether this person will be available or not 
  • Pippa Blatchford – Senior Project Officer, Innovation, NMHS 
  • Yean Wei Ong – Principal Consultant, Innovation, NMHS 

Background 

  • For this challenge, we will be focusing on a specific patient cohort: those who have been hospitalised due to a stroke.  The problems faced, and therefore the solution, will be applicable (and scalable) to other cohorts such as cancer, heart disease, lung disease, etc.  
  • A stroke is a sudden blockage of blood to the brain or a bleed to the brain.  This can lead to loss of movement of arms or legs, loss of speech, loss of vision, or loss of ability to comprehend information.  
  • Most patients with stroke will be hospitalised for about a month, which includes time spent in a rehabilitation unit.
  • Rehabilitation is a process of improving a person’s ability through a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, pharmacist, dietician and psychologist. 

Problems

These are the current problems that are faced by patients/carers in receiving information, and by clinicians in providing information:  

  • Patients and carers are given a lot of information during their hospital stay and upon discharge from hospital.
  • The information comes from multiple independent sources:  
    • Medical: stroke risk reduction from medication and lifestyle changes; follow-up test and medical appointments; temporary suspension of driving/work and follow-up assessment to return to drive/work 
    • Nursing: supply and purchase of continence aid  
    • Social workers: application for social services; follow-up appointments with service providers 
    • Physiotherapist: exercise program; falls risk reduction strategies; follow-up appointments for therapy; purchase of equipment 
    • Occupational therapist: exercise program; memory strategies; follow-up appointments for therapy; purchase of equipment 
    • Speech therapist: exercise program; communication strategies; follow-up appointments for therapy 
    • Pharmacist: medication instructions; purchase of equipment 
    • Dietician: lifestyle change advise; purchase of supplements 
    • Psychologist: well being strategies; follow-up appointment 
  • The information has relevance and emphasis at different time points in the patient/carers’ recovery journey. 
  • The information is presented in multiple format: 
    • Paper – typed (brochure, loose paper, folders), hand-written 
    • Digital – email, web-based link 
    • Video 
  • Patients and carers are often overwhelmed with information about their stroke recovery plan because of the complexity of the medical system, new disability and general health concerns.  Yet, they are expected to collate the information together themselves and figure out what to do next. 
  • Many patients have cognitive and speech impairments. 
  • We work with culturally and linguistically diverse cultures and the medical system does not always cater to diversity and the differing needs of marginalised and intersectional groups of people. 

Potential Focus Questions 

This is a complex Challenge, and you may find it useful to consider the following questions when building out your prototype: 

  • How might we make information about stroke from different professionals cohesive, coherent and suitable for the needs of each person
  • How might we free up clinician time to care through automating or streamlining delivery of information
  • How might we deliver information that is individualised to people from different cultural/language/education background
  • How might we deliver information that is individualised to people’s preference of modalities (ie paper based, digital, video, audio)
  • How could we empower people who are survivors of a stroke through making the right information available at the right time during their stroke recovery journey 
  • How might we help people in navigating decisions 
  • How can we maximise the universal design of information so that it is accessible and inclusive. 

Critical Concepts 

A stroke can have significant impacts on an individual’s life and ability to function. You may want to talk to the Challenge’s Mentors about the following ideas as you develop your prototype: 

  • The stroke rehabilitation journey and what happens at different stages – acute admission, rehabilitation admission, discharge home, community rehabilitation, accessing support, living with disability.  
  • The current information and how it is delivered to people in recovery from a stroke.  
  • How stroke can impact people functionally – cognition, communication and physical function  
  • Family and Carers’ experiences of supporting a loved one through stroke rehabilitation 

Supporting Data Sets 

  • Examples of Patient information packs offered to stroke survivors 
  • Examples of follow up appointments and scheduling after discharge from hospital 
  • Journey map through stages of stroke recovery and rehabilitation 
  • Population data on stoke including rates, demographics, recovery and functional impacts 
  • Research articles 

Potential Solution Pathways 

You are free to resolve this Challenge by developing your prototype in whatever means you may like. Our mentors, partners and organising team have thought of the following techniques as being viable methods to resolve the Challenge: 

  • Multimodal, interactive information delivery methods 
  • Accessible and inclusive communication tools 
  • Shared database for the clinicians to document the patient’s journey or an “everything they need to know about their stroke” 
  • Decision support or automated chatbots to assist with navigation and information access