Abstract

The transition from in-hospital illness management to self-management exposes patients to many risks such as inadequate training before leaving the hospital and medication errors which can lead to patient re-hospitalization. Effective care after discharge can improve patients’ health, reduce chances of re-hospitalization and decrease healthcare costs.

A patient leaves the hospital with a complex and verbose discharge summary. Once home they rely on this discharge summary to guide their recovery. Most of the printed summaries use medical jargon that informs the clinicians more than the patients. To help patients understand better, nurses go through the discharge papers with the patient and caregivers orally. Still, patients find it difficult to process and remember all this information. It becomes overwhelming. This makes them unprepared to manage their care at home. Often times the delicate mental and physical condition of the patient also contributes to the loss of information. All these factors open the opportunity for design intervention for the cause of better post-discharge patient care.

This thesis provides an auxiliary design solution that provides patients with timely, easy to follow information without overwhelming them. Patients would focus on monitoring their health alone rather than struggling to understand complex hospital instructions. The interactive system serves as a guide that helps patients on their road to recovery. Finally, this thesis endeavors to make the process of patient recovery an easy and stress-free journey.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Hospital patients--Rehabilitation; Convalescence--Handbooks, manuals, etc.; Hospitals--Admission and discharge

Publication Date

8-14-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CAD)

Advisor

Adam Smith

Advisor/Committee Member

Mike Strobert

Advisor/Committee Member

Hye Jin Nae

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

VISCOM-MFA

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