Reducing the gap between user needs and digital healthcare communication
Context
In 2024, SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital launched a new Patient Portal: their main digital health management communication channel for patients and families.
Since its pre-release, I have been working on continuous validation, testing, and iterative improvements to enhance core functionalities, including messaging the clinical team, privacy and GDPR applications, or clinical information sharing, among others.
Family focus groups
Focus groups helped families to share their thoughts and areas of improvement. These discussions help prioritise needs and understand which functionality improvements are more urgent.
Agile prototyping plus "Guerrilla" tests
Prototypes are shared with families to understand how they use the Portal and to evaluate its functionality and design updates before developing them. Tests were conducted across waiting areas, reaching families without requiring formal recruitment and enabling agile iteration and optimisation.
Quantitative Validation
Qualtrics surveys about overall and specific functionality satisfaction are designed in collaboration with the Voice of Patient area. These surveys help to evaluate overall functionality and identify the next strategic steps.
Impact
The Patient Portal is a crucial part of the hospital experience. More than 20,000 users have registered, and 5,000 are heavy users, most with complex conditions that require frequent hospital visits.
Considering the 2024 launch, the impact was positive on design and information architecture, increasing the Patient Portal NPS from 76 to 81.
Future
The expectations of the Patients Portal are solid. Considering the cost-optimisation factor, its use as a communication channel will gain ground over other channels, such as SMS or the Telephone Contact Centre. Since more management options can be added to the Portal, users can easily access information on how to prepare for the visit. This implies making the Portal available on wearable devices to create continuity between digital channels, space, and the healthcare model experience.
However, there are barriers to overcome. For example, to develop strategies to address digital poverty (e.g., by providing alternative access methods or digital literacy support). Another barrier is professional resistance. It is necessary to promote Portal engagement to healthcare teams as the exclusive communication tool with patients and families.
