Auckland DHB develops resident medical officer handbook app

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Picture: The mobile version of the RMO handbook

The Auckland District Health Board has developed an app for its resident medical officer handbook to help new doctors more easily find the information they need.

The RMO Handbook app, available for both Android and Apple devices, was developed in-house by the DHB to showcase the organisation’s digital capabilities.

Auckland DHB digital enablement manager Ankit Kumar says the handbook’s previous PDF format meant clinicians could be referring to outdated information, while it could also be difficult for them to find the information they needed.

“They were having to find a computer on a ward and then using that computer they’d open up the PDF, scroll through the PDF of 500 pages or do a Control+F – so not really the best user experience for a doctor who’s probably tired, exhausted, frustrated and possibly even in an emergency situation to find the information very quickly.”

The app designers met clinicians and content managers to understand the challenges they faced with the handbook, as well as how the PDF document was currently being used.

Kumar says the doctors were asked about the technology they used as part of their work, as well as their favourite apps outside the workplace.

“We posed the question to them, if Facebook was to build an app for you for the RMO [handbook], what are some of the things that come to mind?”

The development team sketched out a few prototypes on paper before landing on a final version which was validated with the DHB’s clinicians.

Kumar says the app includes a search function so users can more easily find relevant information, and a bookmark tool for sections they need to regularly access.

Content managers will also be able to more easily add new content into a predefined layout through the content management system.

Kumar says the developers also built a website version of the handbook for doctors who may not have a mobile device on them but want to access the document through a computer in the ward.

The team has developed a “roadmap” of potential features to be added in future, such as allowing clinicians online at the same time to chat with each other.

While app users currently need a verification code, Kumar says the developers are also thinking about a single sign-on process, where staff can use their Auckland DHB network credentials to login.

One lesson the development team learned from their work was to reduce the scope of a minimum viable product, such as focusing on an iOS app only.

Kumar says it is also important to identify one person to act as the product owner, outlining the priority of features that need to be delivered and leading regular development discussions.

Ankit Kumar will be presenting on the development of the RMO handbook app at the HiNZ Conference 2018 to be held at Wellington TSB Arena from November 21–23.

To read more about the HiNZ Conference - click here >>

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