Description of Session
This session describes the user-centered design process and development decisions for a mobile application for tuberculosis screening, tracking, referral, and reporting among private clinical facilities in Nigeria. Paper-based TB screening, referral and reporting in private clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, and patent and proprietary medicine vendors (PPMVs) results in poor record-keeping, delayed decision-making, and patient loss to follow-up. A mobile-enabled digital application can address these challenges if designed in partnership with clinical stakeholders. The Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project convened a user-centered design workshop to develop user interface, experience, and functionality of an Android-based mobile app for a variety of “networked” private provider types (clinics, hospitals, labs, and PPMVs that are part of the SHOPS Plus “hub-and spoke” private provider networks in Lagos and Kano states). Two two-day workshops were held in Lagos and Kano, which convened stakeholders from private clinics, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, and PPMVs. After an initial plenary orientation, stakeholders broke into groups to engage in iterative diagramming of patient pathways and prioritized app functionalities. Several desired functionalities emerged across stakeholder types: screening, reporting, referral of patients, automated SMS-based communication with patients, and a personalized dashboard, with each functionality having distinct specifications by stakeholder type. For screening, clinic/hospital/laboratory users wanted seven standard questions with radio dial buttons while PPMVs/pharmacists wanted a simplified tool with one question. PPMV/pharmacist/laboratory prioritized in-app notifications of clinic referrals and SMS notifications to patients for testing/referral. PPMV/pharmacist/clinic/hospital prioritized digitizing forms to improve tracking of sputum samples sent to laboratories. All stakeholders wanted access to patient records and summary statistics for patients screened, presumptive, confirmed, referred, and treated. Bold colors, large buttons, and simple icons were desired for UX. English and Hausa languages, Android OS, and offline capability were prioritized.
