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Design and Development of a Tablet-Based Electronic Data Capture System for Collecting Clinical Data in a Neurology Outpatient Clinic
ABSTRACT
Background:
Outpatient neurology clinics face workflow inefficiencies, time pressures, and often miss vital information from patients during consultations. Electronic data capture (EDC) tools integrated within existing clinical workflows may address these gaps by introducing structured, real-time patient input during outpatient consultations, thereby supporting clinician efficiency.
Objective:
This study aimed to co-design and develop a tablet-based, patient-entered EDC tool tailored to neurology outpatient workflows at a specific site informed by clinical, technical and organizational constraints identified during the co-design process.
Methods:
A qualitative design science research methodology was applied at the University Hospital Basel. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with expert neurologists and non-participant observations of clinical workflows to identify obstacles experienced. Reflexive thematic analysis informed user requirements and system design of the proposed EDC tool. Iterative cycles of co-design with clinicians and information technology (IT) specialists, including usability feedback from neurologists, were used.
Results:
Clinicians identified inefficiencies in current outpatient clinic workflows, including missing paper forms, lack of real-time data integration, lack of well-structured longitudinal data, and administrative burden. Key domains for a structured pre-consultation assessment were defined for multiple sclerosis (MS) and headache consultations. The resulting EDC prototype includes a patient-facing adaptive questionnaire optimized for patient accessibility and a clinician dashboard offering real-time data visualization, trendlines, and direct export to consultation letters. User testing with clinicians utilizing a prototype demonstrated that the system could feasibly transform waiting room time into structured data collection, to support more focused, personalized consultations with patients
Conclusions:
The study demonstrates important aspects that a tablet-based EDC tool within neurology outpatient workflows would have to fulfill in order to enhance clinic efficiency and patient engagement during consultations. The findings identify practical design, workflow, and integration considerations relevant to implementing patient-reported data capture at the point of care in specialty clinics.
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Copyright
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