Usability of an automated system for real-time monitoring of shared decision-making for surgery: Mixed methods evaluation

Shared Decision-Making

Improving shared decision-making (SDM) for patients is a key health policy goal in many countries. This is especially crucial for the 313 million surgical decisions made globally each year. To ensure SDM quality, it’s essential to monitor surgical patients’ experiences in real-time, identifying any issues before surgery.

North Bristol's Trust: Shared Decision-Making Survey

In 2021, North Bristol Trust partnered with us to create an innovative solution: an electronic measurement system for real-time data collection. North Bristol Trust, serving Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset, provides hospital and community healthcare, with an additional regional centre for neurosciences, plastics, burns, orthopaedics, and renal care.

As part of this initiative, patients are sent a survey after their consultation and before their surgery to gauge SDM from the patient's perspective. The surveys use two validated tools, CollaboRATE and SDM-Q-9, to measure SDM experiences.

Assessing its usability: The journal article

This year, a journal article was published evaluating the usability of North Bristol Trust's automated system for real-time SDM monitoring in surgical patients. Using a mixed-methods approach, the researchers assessed the system's effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction.

Over nine months, quantitative data provided metrics on the system's performance, showing high task completion and survey response rates. Qualitative data from user-testing sessions and interviews offered insights into user satisfaction, indicating that most users found the system easy to use and acceptable.

The study also highlighted potential barriers to accessibility and acceptability, which can help guide future improvements. This research advances tools for large-scale SDM monitoring in surgical settings, aiming to enhance patient outcomes and healthcare quality.

👉 Read more in their journal article here: https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2024/1/e46698

If you'd like to learn more about Shared Decision Making, email our customer success team at customersuccess@cemplicity.com