AR-Enabled Medical Bracelet
Closing the Information Gap: Revolutionizing Healthcare with AR for Enhanced Transparency, Accessibility, and Patient Engagement
Lack of Transparency:
Hospitals often use medical jargon that's hard for laypeople to understand, creating an information gap.
Accessibility:
Not all necessary information is readily available or easy to access, particularly when the medical staff is not present.
Patient Engagement:
Patients often find themselves in a passive role during their healthcare journey.
To design an AR-enabled medical bracelet that acts as an interactive interface between the patient and their medical information.
The Prototype
Phase 1: Ideation & Sketching
As I laid there waiting for updates, I jotted down ideas and sketches, considering elements like UI/UX design, accessibility, and information hierarchy.
Phase 2: Technology Selection
I opted for AR, as it doesn't require the user to diverge from their existing environment—ideal for a hospital setting.
Phase 3: Creating the Prototype
Using Sketch, After Effects, and Principle, I created a prototype focusing on the medical bracelet. When scanned by an AR app, it would display:
- Basic Patient Info: Name, age, room number, etc.
- Medical History: Quick icons representing past medical issues or surgeries.
- Current Status: Vital signs, recovery progress, next steps in treatment.
- Interactive Features: Option to call a nurse, view surgery notes, and so on.
Prototyping a Future of Healthcare
Results
Even though this was an initial prototype, it showcased the potential for:
- Increased Transparency: The AR app decodes medical jargon into understandable language.
- Enhanced Accessibility: All essential information is now a scan away.
- Empowered Patients: Allows patients to take an active role in their healthcare journey.
Future Scope
The possibilities are numerous:
- Expanding the view to include the patient's entire medical card.
- Incorporating animations that guide the patient through their treatment process.
- Adding data points that can be interactively explored for deeper insights.
Conclusion
The experience of going through emergency surgery underlined the glaring need for more user-centric designs in healthcare settings. While this AR-enabled medical bracelet is only a prototype, it paves the way for more thoughtful design in patient experiences.
As I often say, design has the power to solve problems big and small—and sometimes, the smaller problems are the ones that make the most significant impact on our lives. Looking forward, there's cautious optimism that this kind of technology could revolutionize patient experience in healthcare. So here's to not just imagining a better future, but actively designing one!
(Gallery)
United Masters
