Dispatch Health Companion Experience: Ensuring Seamless Communication for In-Home Appointments

At Dispatch Health, providing users with clear, timely communication for in-home medical appointments was a top priority. The Companion Experience project focused on enhancing the patient journey by ensuring users were kept well-informed about their scheduled appointment details. This case study outlines how we used collaborative research, prototyping, and iterative feedback to design a user-centered experience that improved communication and accessibility.

Challenge

In-home medical appointments come with their own unique set of challenges:

• Keeping Patients Informed: We needed to ensure users were confident about who would be visiting, what time the nurse would arrive, and what preparation was required.

• Minimizing Confusion: We had to create a way for patients to easily access and verify their specific appointment details without confusion.

• Building Trust: Users needed reassurance about the process to feel comfortable with their upcoming appointment, including how to prepare and what to expect.

The challenge was to design an experience that maintained clear communication while validating users’ personal details securely.

Process

Collaborative Research and Discovery

To fully understand user needs, we began with a series of round-table discussions with existing patients. These sessions allowed us to hear directly from users about their concerns, frustrations, and expectations when it came to in-home appointments. Key insights included:

• Uncertainty Before the Appointment: Patients often didn't know who would be visiting, the exact arrival time, or how to prepare for the visit.

• Need for Clear, Actionable Information: There was a desire for concise information, such as reminders about the nurse's visit and what to have ready.

• Security and Access Issues: Users were concerned about how they would access their appointment details, especially in the context of sensitive health information.

Prototyping the Experience

With these insights in hand, we created prototypes to map out the user experience. These early prototypes allowed us to visualize how patients would interact with the app throughout their journey—from booking the appointment to receiving post-visit instructions/summary. We focused on:

• Pre-Appointment Communication: Designing a flow that included clear notifications about the nurse, appointment time, and preparation required.

• Validation Mechanism: Incorporating a birthdate validation process to ensure patients were accessing the correct appointment information securely.

• Post-Appointment Updates: Creating follow-up messages to guide users through post-visit instructions, summary of care and feedback opportunities.

We then tested these prototypes with a select group of existing patients to gather initial feedback, refining the flow based on their experiences.

Iterative Feedback and Refinement

We conducted several rounds of testing and refinement after receiving feedback from real patients using the prototype. This iterative process helped us identify areas for improvement and fine-tune the design. Key adjustments included:

• Improving the Validation Process: Simplifying the birthdate entry field for easier access and fewer errors.

• Optimizing Email Notifications: Adjusting the frequency and clarity of notifications to ensure patients didn’t feel overwhelmed but remained well-informed.

• Enhancing the Nurse Introduction: Adding visual elements, such as a photo or brief bio (if provided) of the nurse, to help build trust before the visit.

Impact

The Companion Experience significantly improved communication and reduced confusion across several key areas:

• Enhanced Communication: Patients reported feeling more confident and informed, with fewer questions about what to expect.

• Higher Trust and Satisfaction: By providing personalized details (e.g., nurse info) and timely updates, patients felt more at ease before and after their visits.

• Streamlined Post-Visit Experience: Clear follow-up messages minimized confusion about next steps and helped reduce the volume of follow-up inquiries.

Takeaways

• User Feedback Drives Success: Round-table discussions and iterative testing were crucial in refining the design to meet patient needs.

• Validation Increases Confidence: Birthdate validation ensured patients accessed the correct information, minimizing errors and building trust.

• Proactive Communication Matters: Providing clear, timely updates throughout the process—before, during, and after the appointment—greatly enhanced the patient experience.

The Companion Experience project helped Dispatch Health enhance its communication strategy, ultimately providing patients with a seamless, transparent, and reassuring journey. Through collaboration across teams, prototyping, and continuous feedback, we created an experience that not only met patient needs but also improved satisfaction and trust of the brand.