Article published In:
Information VisualizationEdited by Isabel Meirelles and Katherine Gillieson
[Information Design Journal 23:1] 2017
► pp. 104–122
Edited by Isabel Meirelles and Katherine Gillieson
[Information Design Journal 23:1] 2017
► pp. 104–122
Improving the quality of healthcare data through information design
Improving the quality of patient care, generally referred to as Quality Improvement (QI), is a constant mission of healthcare.
Although QI initiatives take many forms, these typically involve collecting data to measure whether changes to procedures have
been made as planned, and whether those changes have achieved the expected outcomes. In principle, such data are used to measure
the success of a QI initiative and make further changes if needed. In practice, however, many QI data reports provide only limited
insight into changes that could improve patient care. Redesigning standard approaches to QI data can help close the gap between
current norms and the potential of QI data to improve patient care. This paper describes our study of QI data needs among
healthcare providers and managers at Vancouver Coastal Health, a regional health system in Canada. We present an overview of
challenges faced by healthcare providers around QI data collection and visualization, and illustrate the advantages and
disadvantages of different visualizations. At present, user– centred and evidence–based design is practically unknown in
healthcare QI, and thus offers an important new contribution.
Keywords: data visualization, human-centred design, Information design, healthcare, Quality Improvement
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.
For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].
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