title: Interactive tools for inpatient medication tracking: a multi-phase study with cardiothoracic surgery patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prior studies of computing applications that support patients' medication knowledge and self-management offer valuable insights into effective application design, but do not address inpatient settings. This study is the first to explore the design and usefulness of patient-facing tools supporting inpatient medication management and tracking.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed myNYP Inpatient, a custom personal health record application, through an iterative, user-centered approach. Medication-tracking tools in myNYP Inpatient include interactive views of home and hospital medication data and features for commenting on these data. In a two-phase pilot study, patients used the tools during cardiothoracic postoperative care at Columbia University Medical Center. In Phase One, we provided 20 patients with the application for 24-48 h and conducted a closing interview after this period. In Phase Two, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 patients and 5 clinical pharmacists who evaluated refinements to the tools based on the feedback received during Phase One.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients reported that the medication-tracking tools were useful. During Phase One, 14 of the 20 participants used the tools actively, to review medication lists and log comments and questions about their medications. Patients' interview responses and audit logs revealed that they made frequent use of the hospital medications feature and found electronic reporting of questions and comments useful. We also uncovered important considerations for subsequent design of such tools. In Phase Two, the patients and pharmacists participating in the study confirmed the usability and usefulness of the refined tools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inpatient medication-tracking tools, when designed to meet patients' needs, can play an important role in fostering patient participation in their own care and patient-provider communication during a hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA Department of Computer Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA wilcox@cc.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woollen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prey
authors.affiliation: College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Restaino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bakken
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feiner
authors.affiliation: College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sackeim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Vawdrey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D010595:Pharmacists; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012648:Self Care; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: data display; hospital information systems; inpatients; patient medication knowledge; user-computer interface