Overview

How might we…streamline the approval process and increase input from practicing Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) to enhance the timeliness and accuracy of patient care through the Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT)?

Problem

The prolonged approval process and limited input from practicing Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in the development of the Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT) impacts their ability to provide timely and accurate patient care.

Success

Building empathy

We learned that while RDNs bring different viewpoints, having too much of the same information can make things repetitive, lowering its overall usefulness. Also, without easy-to-use platforms for collecting and analyzing data, it's difficult for RDNs to be heard.

Interviewees

Monique Lisowski, RDN
PACT Dietitian at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital & Clinics

Tennille Yates. RDN
Clinical Nutrition Director at AdventHealth

Lauren Dinour, RDN
Associate Professor at Montclair State University

What we heard

Lack of intuitiveness

"I think, at the end of the day, I like software that is intuitive and doesn't make me have to click around unnecessarily. It's one of my biggest frustrations with the current eNCPT portal; I just don't think it's intuitive. I find that I have to click through too many weird drop-downs. It's a digital encyclopedia. When I first saw it, I thought, 'Wow, this feels like an encyclopedia.' User-friendliness isn't necessarily at the top of their list. I use it because I have to, since it's the only thing that exists. I've gotten used to it now, but it's hard for new students to learn every semester."

Repetitive data

"There's just a lot of menu options that I don't understand. If I look at the drop-down boxes on the main page of the eNCPT, across the top in that little blue area, there's a drop-down for terminology. Then you've got assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitors, and then there's a reference sheet. It's pretty much the same thing but displayed differently. Whether you're looking at the terminology drop-down or the reference sheet drop-down, it's always a little confusing. And then you also have the snapshot for each one. It just seems like everything is in so many places, which makes it a bit confusing."

Inability to participate in the process

"Because this portal used to be a book, it makes sense. Ten years ago, it started out as a book, and then every year or two, there would be a new edition with updated codes and terms. People started getting upset about having to buy a new book every couple of years, so they came out with this portal. Then people got upset because they couldn't buy a book anymore. It's funny how that happens.

I think it's always been that if you have a recommendation or suggestion for a new term, you email someone—I'm not sure who, maybe it's somewhere on the portal. But you can suggest a new term, and there's a process to determine if it will be added. It would be nice if you could submit that directly through the application. If you need a term that's not available, you could say, 'I think you should have this,' and also ask, 'What should I use instead? If I don't have a term like this, what do I use?"

Persona

Goals

Responsibilities

Prioritization

Frustrations

Changes (if in charge)

Journeys

Patient Consultation

Charting

Design

Why Primer?

We chose the Primer Design System due to its React-based architecture, comprehensive components, intuitive layout, and versatile Octicons. Primer's well-designed components and responsive layout tools ensure a seamless user experience across various devices, crucial for healthcare professionals.

The integration of Octicons provides a consistent, recognizable iconography that enhances the interface's clarity and usability. React's component-based architecture supports maintainability and scalability, making Primer an ideal choice for our development needs.

Features

Home

A comprehensive dashboard, providing access to industry news, new terms, and key resources, along with an embedded video for user education to facilitate a consistent approach to documenting nutrition care.

Favorites

A personalized view where users can see detailed definitions and relevant codes for various terms, with functionalities to favorite, edit, and organize these terms efficiently.

Term

A comprehensive guide to the nutrition assessment process, featuring an overview and detailed sections for Intro, Actions, Care Continuation, Similarities, and References, with functionalities to suggest changes, highlight critical information, and view recent updates.

Agent Concept

Story Map

Design

An approach where registered dietitians and nutritionists can securely consume patient data from electronic healthcare record systems, leveraging LLMs to auto-write nutrition plans, thereby eliminating the need to visit the eNCPT website altogether.