JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Healthcare dashboards have the potential to enhance understanding, decision-making and communication. However, their design, implementation and evaluation are often hindered by the absence of standardized guidelines. This study undertakes an international review to identify existing guidelines or, in the absence of such guidelines, to identify common practices for healthcare dashboard design, providing a foundation for future work in the Irish healthcare context.

Objective:

To identify existing guidelines and common practices for healthcare dashboard design through an international review, in order to inform future development and implementation within the Irish healthcare system.

Methods:

An evidence summary approach was used to systematically review the literature from PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and IEEE Explore. The review aimed to identify existing guidelines and common practices for healthcare dashboards internationally. Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, practices were coded and grouped into common themes which were then defined as four main pillars: Approach (addressing engagement of end-users and stakeholders), Content (focusing on data quality, effective insights and presentation), Behavior (usability and accessibility), and Adoption (ensuring sustainability).

Results:

From 1,644 initially identified studies, 18 met the inclusion criteria. The review highlighted few descriptions of specific guidelines and gaps in the practices applied, especially in the areas of data quality and organizational integration. Four main pillars were defined which provide initial insights into effective dashboard design, emphasizing user-centered approaches, actionable metrics, interactivity, and sustainable adoption practices.

Conclusions:

This review is an essential first step in understanding the global landscape of healthcare dashboards and lays the groundwork for adapting these insights to the Irish healthcare system. As outlined above, we have identified a significant gap, namely a lack of standardized guidelines that could guide the design of dashboards in the healthcare sector. While dashboards are widely acknowledged as vital tools for improving decision-making, communication, and efficiency, most research focuses on building healthcare dashboards rather than establishing robust guidelines to underpin their design and implementation. Arising from this review, we have defined four main pillars with key practices which highlight a pathway toward addressing this gap.