fetal monitor documentation

requirements analysis, user interface design

Most digital fetal monitor systems force chronically-busy nurses to fill out every detail of any notation that they want to make at the time when they make the note. During a hectic and complicated delivery, nurses will often ignore the machine, making brief notes on a paper crib sheet until they have the leisure of sitting down to fully document them.

A portion of the concepts I produced for the Women's Health specialty domain, this proposed design addresses the need to make quick but meaningful notes in a way that did not interrupt the nurses' real-world workflow.

The gesture palette mechanism allows delivery nurses to drop semi-detailed documentation placeholders onto an active fetal monitor strip. Dropping a placeholder is done entirely with the pointing device; no keyboard interaction is necessary. It is designed primarily for tablet or touch-screen use, but is equally functional with a mouse.

The fetal monitor documentation system uses and extends the design language created for the healthcare solutions framework.

And “Lactated Ringers” really is a standard IV medication. Medicine is weird.