NurseMatch (ChopDawg)
Instant access to unit coverage, nurse info, and patient data
Tablet Application
Introduction
Colin Plover (Ph.D., MPH, MSN, MSEd, RN-BC) is a health systems researcher, social entrepreneur, and innovator with deep experience in the medical field; he recognized the need for something better in health tech to help organize nurse-patient care allocation the concept of using an algorithm to pair patients and nurses accurately. Nurses would have an easier time managing care allocations for their assigned patients, minimizing delays and giving maximum insights into patient health. Hospitals, too, could more accurately track and optimize staff resources, reducing the costs and number of nurses needed.
Role - Product Designer
Client - NurseMatch (ChopDawg)
NightingaleFrom idea to execution
Careful monitoring and managing nurses care assignments are critical for any healthcare organization.
Still, costly manual labor and tracking of chronic shortages can create bottlenecks that create costly outcomes such as staff burnout, overworked nurses, and delayed care. I worked to establish a clear understanding of hospital-level staffing, nursing protocols, procedures, responsibilities, and how essential patient census is.
Process
I started sharing initial concepts and sketches early to visualize units, nurse and patient capacity, and the app's core features.
There were several iterations from ongoing feedback. We worked collaboratively to visualize a simple, intuitive way to understand unit capacity and assign and pair nurses easily.
Features
Users can access unit coverage, nurse information, and patient data.
This app will increase patient satisfaction and safety, potentially even saving lives. Administrators will save time and money by optimizing staffing and coverage, reducing the stress of nurses by allowing more precise allocation and tracking of assignments and care.
The app has multiple views to surface critical information for different roles and easily see the nurse-to-patient ratio and bed availability.
Quickly see Nurses' schedules and patient allocation.
Float Nurses to different units with a simple drag-and-drop interface, quickly ensuring coverage and balanced shifts capacity.
Users can quickly view patient information and leave clear notes for staff.
Outcome
After I completed the extensive complex system design and created a working prototype which quickly gained interest among hospitals and potential investors, Colin received funding for the initial app's development.
The MVP features of the app were scoped and named Nightingale and passed to another designer to design the final branding and visual interface. The app is HIPAA compliant and powered by an algorithm working with the EHR (electronic health registry). Nightingale is designed to help make intelligent patient assignments based on past medical outcomes and experience, even gauging room location assignments to limit steps for each nurse on duty.