Client
Content Designer
Service Designer
User Researcher
Objective
The Electronic Prescriptions Service (EPS) allows prescribers and/or dispensers to check the status and location of a prescription. The EPS API provides the ability for citizens to see their inflight digital prescriptions in-app, surfacing status information from prescriber platforms into the app.
Our objective was to map interactions between prescriber, patient, and dispenser systems and aligning the data representations of status shared between these platforms, in order to surface useful information to the patient.
Role
My role as Interaction Designer was to conduct research, create service blueprints, design app screens for testing purposes and produce html prototypes, following GDS standards.
Outcome
Captured clinical user needs to define data requirements for ‘Prescriptions for Patients’ API, to be used in hospitals where we're now creating around 3,000 prescriptions a month, reducing process time.
Redesigned NHS-compliant user flows and improved content hierarchy using evidence from card sorting research.
We were limited by what EPS (as-is) could offer in terms of tracking a prescription from a patient perspective. This was because dispense notifications were used differently by dispensers. For one dispenser it could mean the medication had been prepared and was ready for collection, while for another it could mean the patient had already collected the medication.
There was no concept of a 'holding status' for preparing a prescription, which could explain why the dispensed status was used in different ways by dispensers.
Align
The complexity of the placement led to overlapping roles, requiring close coordination to avoid conflicts. While our focus was capturing API requirements, our design work sometimes intersected with the UI, so we set clear expectations with the application team to maintain alignment.
Understand
We gathered existing research, metrics, and team knowledge, and conducted patient interviews to identify pain points and understand user needs.
Outline
Based on insights from interviews, we mapped the processes that dispensers, prescribers, and patients follow to produce and collect prescriptions, identifying key interactions across multiple systems.
Mapping
We analyzed the backend of the dispenser platform to map data points for cancellations, ensuring alignment with user-friendly reasons that would appear in the app. Prescription status labels were restructured using card-sorting and evidence-based hierarchy to improve clarity.
Validating
We created HTML wireframes using the NHS prototyping kit in line with GDS standards and tested them with patients to validate clarity and usability.
Providing patients with visibility on their approved prescriptions, regardless of their source, could help patients manage their medication needs
"One off prescriptions not required to be shown in app...I had to call the GP and see if there was any updates in these few days but I didn't get anything“
“It’s ok with one medication med but must be hard for people trying to manage multiple medications”
“Nice if the app noticed it was my last batch instead of just pharmacy telling me, as a busy mum I can sometimes forget”
“[Wants] A wider view of my prescription history, all prescriptions in one place and approval information”
“Maybe there's another thing where underneath the item on the app it says ready to collect or something just because I'm personally used to going in and clicking in. But a notification would make things even easier.”
“Useful to know where the prescription is and why, I.e., with GP and they need to do X or it's with your pharmacy but they're waiting for a delivery. Would stop a wild goose chase from going back and forth from doctor and pharmacist”
"I have had the odd experience of missing items and only realising when got home. For other people who might be waiting on items being notified beforehand would be good i.e., if stock is not available"
"I have had the odd experience of missing items and only realising when got home. For other people who might be waiting on items being notified beforehand would be good i.e., if stock is not available"
Purpose
Clarify the broader journey, insights, and pain points for patients, prescribers, and dispensers. Understand how the NHS app interactions fit into the
broader journey for patients, prescribers, & dispensers.
This research round focussed on pharmacy roles, to understand if and how the sending of messages at the 3 stages could impact on their role and pharmacy process.
A reminder of the 3 scenarios within our constraints in which a message could be sent to a patient:
A patient with a nominated prescription is informed when the prescriber creates their prescription and it is sent to Spine – “To be dispensed”
A patient with a nominated prescription is informed when the dispenser downloads their prescription from Spine – “With dispenser”
A patient with a non-nominated prescription is informed when the prescriber creates their prescription and it is sent to Spine – “To be dispensed”
Feedback
The reasons given for a cancellation were not specific enough to reduce queries to prescribers.
The reasons given for a 'not issued' item were not specific enough to reduce queries to prescribers.
Interpretation
Mix feedback about how 'not issued' differed from cancellation.
Impact
Enabled around 3,000 prescriptions per month to be tracked in real time through the API.
Reduced confusion and support calls caused by unclear or inconsistent status labels.
Improved patient trust and satisfaction, particularly for multi-medication users who could now track all prescriptions in one place.