Background
In any longitudinal study, maintaining low rates of attrition is indicative of success. I proposed a new system for managing participant relations while the business, an outpatient behavioral health clinic, collaborated with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to run a grant funded research project. The Promoting the Integration of Primary and Behavioral Healthcare (PIPBHC) grant required organizations to collect survey data and physical health measures at baseline and every six months up to a maximum of five years.
The Problem
Communication with participants can be difficult when check-ins are sparse (3-6 months between contacts). In clinical populations, this can be doubly the case due to mental health factors such as paranoia or anxiety, socioeconomic pressures, and demographic factors like increased rates of relocation. The PIPBHC project encountered significant challenges, particularly in two critical areas: maintaining communication with participants and fostering clinical trust within vulnerable populations. In order to improve participant retention rates, I proposed a system that integrated grant participant management/tracking with an otherwise distinct group-session management interface.
Finalized Wireframe
Research Process
I observed the workflows of clinical and grant users and found that separate apps were needed to ensure HIPAA compliance and meet the grant's ethical guidelines. Throughout multiple focus group sessions, clinicians expressed the need for improvements to their group session scheduling software which provided an opportunity to streamline coordination with research teams. Additionally, incorporating functionalities such as real-time patient data tracking reduced administrative burdens, enabling clinicians to devote more attention to patient care. Secondary users such as nurses, clinical assistants, and administrative staff provided a secondary opportunity to connect clients to researchers. Surveys were provided to grant staff to gather information about which metrics to prioritize.
The dashboards created mainly helped boost engagement by increasing the interactions grant staff had with participants through clinicians as a go-between. Ensuring the tool brought new utility to users and increased convenience was paramount, as clinicians and psychiatrists had limited time between sessions. The design of the interface prioritized efficiency and user-friendliness, allowing practitioners to quickly access essential features without navigating through unnecessary complexities or managing disparate software.
Impact
This project was a resounding success for both target audiences. In terms of participant retention, the months following implementation showed a decrease in attrition rates. Historical concurrent participant numbers hovered around 60% - 65% capacity, jumping to 90% - 95% following implementation. Clinical users reported high degrees of satisfaction with the updated scheduling interface.
Heat map findings revealed the near obsolescence of patient history information in this app. It is likely that time-limited clinicians lacked the bandwidth necessary to utilize this information. Post-launch improvements were made as needed.
