A Radical Solution to the Visualization and Interaction with Timeline Structured Information: UHS Lifelines Electronic Patient Record Interface
The ambitious NHS Digital Transformation Programme faces challenges in delivering efficient and intuitive information to health professionals. Since 2009, we have worked as a small team at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) Clinical Data Estate. Using e-data visualisation principles and a highly agile and iterative approach with minimal financial resources, we have developed a transformative approach to the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) interface.
On UHS Lifelines, the timeframe is continuously incremental as new content accumulates. The interface opens near instantaneously in real time and documents from any time point are immediately accessible without scrolling through lists, menus, multiple frames and software subsystems, and the clinical history can be read subliminally to a valuable degree from the icon patterns. Despite initial constraints, the system evolved into a powerful application at the heart of UHS EPR. Additionally, it led to other software solutions, such as the SCR+ (Somerset Cancer Registry Enhanced) Multi-Disciplinary Team Module for cancer data management. We believe our approach has broad applicability beyond healthcare, potentially benefiting various sectors. We therefore appreciate all opportunities for collaboration to expand the project's impact nationally and beyond.