Redesigning Medical Encounters with Tele-Board MED

The roles and perspectives of the patient and the health care provider could hardly be more different, yet both pursue the common goal of restoring or preserving the patient’s health. The path to a satisfying health care outcome is manifold, and the quality of the patient-provider relationship is an impactful factor. We discuss different models for the classification of patient-provider interaction as well as for patient empowerment. On this theoretical basis we elaborate on how patient-provider interaction can be enhanced in practice by means of the medical documentation system Tele-Board MED. This system is a collaborative eHealth application designed to support the interaction between patient and provider in clinical encounters. Simultaneously, it aims at making case documentation more efficient for providers and more valuable for patients. As a research paradigm, the Tele-Board MED project has used a design thinking approach to understand and support fundamental stakeholder needs. Psychotherapy has been chosen as a first field of application for Tele-Board MED research and interventions. This chapter shares insights and findings from empathizing with users, defining a point of view, ideating and testing prototypes. We found that a joint, transparent case documentation was very well received by patients. This documentation increased the acceptance of diagnoses and encouraged a team feeling between patient and therapist.