Digital Decision Support for A Major Hospital System

The Client

A Hospital System that we have worked with very closely in the past approached Arcweb to help doctors in their high risk delivery rooms. These doctors are resuscitating newborns within minutes of life and every second counts. They are highly trained with high risk scenarios and do a great deal of practice when they are not on call, yet still, there is a lot of information they need in the moment that requires them to reference knowledge based materials. These doctors were hanging paper on the wall or referencing things on their phones that were helpful to know in the resuscitation. They needed a better way to reference them so that they could maintain their primary focus on a newborn with life threatening issues.

My Process

To fully understand the physical and mental demands placed on doctors in the delivery room, I took the step of suiting up at the hospital to observe firsthand. I wanted to experience the environment and see how digital tools could realistically support their work. This hands-on experience was invaluable. Witnessing the doctors save lives was a powerful moment, but it also provided critical insights. I observed that the doctors spent almost all of their focus on the baby, leaving little time to engage with digital screens. This made it clear that any digital solution had to be quickly glanceable and not distract from their primary tasks. I also noted that the team held planning meetings to discuss their approach, so I identified that a key use case for the digital tool would be to support these critical planning sessions. With this understanding, I spent a lot of time sketching and refining ideas on how to present complex information in a simple, clear format that could be easily referenced during high-pressure moments.

Key Results

After several rounds of iteration which I reviewed with the lead doctors, we decided to test the designs with other doctors who would also be using the tool in the delivery room. We brought our prototypes into training rooms where I observed doctors interacting with the designs in real time. The immediate feedback I received was priceless. It was through this hands-on testing that I was able to refine the design to the final state where I was sure it was not only valuable but something the doctors would genuinely want to use in a critical setting. One key sucess of the tool is its ability to intelligently display relevant information based on the baby's age and weight, which helped reduce information overload. After a few months of use, we’ve received outstanding feedback. Doctors have shared that they find the tool especially useful during planning sessions, and during resuscitation it succeeds in allowing them to quickly assess the baby's condition and make critical decisions on the spot if emergency measures are required.