Contextualizing Online Laboratory (lab) Results and Mapping the Patient Journey

The 21st century has brought forth unprecedented technological advances, such as the advent of portable digital devices [1]. This trend has also permeated the health care sector, with the introduction of digital health services, like providing citizens with access to their online laboratory (lab) re...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Joseph, A.L (Author), Kushniruk, A.W (Author), MacDonald, L. (Author), Monkman, H. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: NLM (Medline) 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
LEADER 02325nam a2200217Ia 4500
001 10.3233-SHTI220690
008 220718s2022 CNT 000 0 und d
020 |a 18798365 (ISSN) 
245 1 0 |a Contextualizing Online Laboratory (lab) Results and Mapping the Patient Journey 
260 0 |b NLM (Medline)  |c 2022 
856 |z View Fulltext in Publisher  |u https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI220690 
520 3 |a The 21st century has brought forth unprecedented technological advances, such as the advent of portable digital devices [1]. This trend has also permeated the health care sector, with the introduction of digital health services, like providing citizens with access to their online laboratory (lab) results. This qualitative study will illustrate the patient journey, namely participant 16 (P16), to address the research question: what phases does a person go through when accessing their lab results online? The findings revealed that lab results were accessed from two types of devices a tablet (e.g., portable computer) when at home and a mobile phone when away from home. We also found that interpretation of results can be a challenge and it was unclear if P16 was able to understand her lab results. To illustrate the complexity of interpreting and accessing online lab results, the authors created a Customer Journey Map to contextualize the experiences of P16. The journey map depicts a combination of factors such as: eHealth literacy, limited access to providers, difficulty interpreting lab test results. Additionally, recommendations for online lab portal functionality enhancements were discovered through the mapping exercise. This study demonstrated that along with providing citizens with access to digital health technologies and services, considerations to eHealth literacy, the digital divide and health equity are paramount. As evidenced by the visualization, journey maps hold promise to serve as efficient tools to build empathy and identify the unique needs and perspectives of citizens. 
650 0 4 |a digital divide 
650 0 4 |a health informatics 
650 0 4 |a Health literacy 
650 0 4 |a patient journey map 
700 1 |a Joseph, A.L.  |e author 
700 1 |a Kushniruk, A.W.  |e author 
700 1 |a MacDonald, L.  |e author 
700 1 |a Monkman, H.  |e author 
773 |t Studies in health technology and informatics