title: From development to implementation-A smartphone and email-based discharge follow-up program for pediatric patients after hospital discharge.
abstract: The purpose of this case study was to investigate opportunities to electronically enhance the transitions of care for both patients and providers and to describe the process of development and implementation of such tools. We describe the current challenges and fragmentation of care for pediatric patients and families being discharged from inpatient stays, and review barriers to change in practice. Care transitions vary in the complexity of the clinical and social scenarios and no one-size-fits-all approach works for every patient, provider or hospital system. A substantial challenge that providers who are designing and implementing digital tools for patients surrounds the complexity in building such tools to apply to such broad populations. Our case study provides a framework using a multidisciplinary approach, brainstorming and rapid digital prototyping to build an in-house electronic discharge follow-up platform. In describing this process, we review design and implementation measures that may further support digital tool development in other areas.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, United States. Electronic address: Israel.green-hopkins@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Israel Green
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, United States.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, United States.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bourgeois
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, United States.
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, United States.
authors.forename: Vincent W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Chiang
mesh_terms: D001900:Boston; D002675:Child, Preschool; D034742:Electronic Mail / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000379:methods*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000592:standards*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods; D000068997:Smartphone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Care transitions; Design thinking; Mobile health; Patient-centered care