Optimal Patient Journey

UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute (UCGNI)

This research effort began with a scoping project aimed at identifying innovative opportunities to significantly improve the overall experience for patients and the clinical team at UCGNI. As all clinical efforts are ultimately patient-centered, our goal in the initial phase of this project was to focus our research around the patient, their needs, and their interactions with people, technology and the environment throughout their care journey. Studying this journey delivered insights that informed the most optimal patient care, workflow and experience. These insights helped to guide, focus and prioritize the next steps in this research effort.

Research

Uncovering Pain Points Along the Journey

The Live Well team started by understanding the holistic patient journey that takes place at UC Health for both Stroke and Brain Tumor patients, from pre-inpatient to post-outpatient. The team benchmarked existing wayfinding, UCGNI’s current website, and the resources that are given to patients. They also had the chance to go on several in-person tours of the Institute, as well as interview patients and clinical staff. Below is a visualization of the UCGNI Ecosystem, which the team developed based on these interactions.

At the end of the Research Phase, the team conducted an interactive session to uncover the pain points for the two different patient journeys:

Brain Tumor Journey (Glioma).

  • Returning Phone Calls to Patients

  • Waiting for an Appointment

  • Cost of Drugs

  • Primary Care

  • Access to Community Resources

Stroke Journey (ER).

  • Patients Off Unit

  • Lack of Imaging

  • Insurance Verification/Approval for Post-Acute

  • Patient Care Coordination (Post-Acute)

  • Transition from Inpatient to Outpatient

Ideation

Finding the Opportunity Areas

While revising patient journeys, synthesizing insights from patient/clinical staff interviews, and benchmarking local institutions, the Live Well team identified three opportunity areas for both Brain Tumor and Stroke patients. At the end of the Ideation Phase, the Live Well conducted an interaction with the UCGNI team, and together they prioritized items out of the list below to create new areas of opportunity.

  • Coordination of Care

  • Education

  • Connection to Resources

Refinement

Persona Creation

During the third phase of Live Well’s process, the team found three new opportunity areas: access, or having timely access to services, stability, as it relates to psycho/social challenges, and clarity, or providing conceptual wayfinding through materials. They then created six personas and ran scenarios through these opportunity areas.

ucgni-refinement2ucgni-refinement2
UCGNI CASE STUDY

Work With Us

Experience our design thinking process by becoming a partner, accepting a cooperative learning position, or participating in one of our user-centered research sessions.

As a Partner

Are you looking for design solutions? Join the Live Well team as a partner to run studios that match your unique design needs.

Learn More
As a Faculty Advisor or Co-op

Push ideas and methodologies learned in the classroom to new levels by working directly with stakeholders and partners, from the research phase to final outputs.

Learn More
As a Research Fellow

Fellowship at the Live Well provides an unmatched opportunity to advance your career goals and design skillset through growth and leadership.

Learn More