...
The surgeon I interviewed is a female between forty and fifty. She has about fifty patients each day. She is concerned about the issue of patients not taking medication correctly and said it may cause serious consequences if the patients fails to take it correctly. She thinks it would be helpful to get the information about whether the patients have followed the instruction correctly, but she stresses that it would be even better if she can get direct feedback from the patients about the effectiveness of the drug. “A lot of times, our problem is that the patients cannot communicate with us directly, in a timely manner about the effectiveness of the medicine and whether it has any side effects.” She thinks getting feedback from the patients about the effectiveness of the drugs not only helps to treat the patient, but also helps the doctors to understand the disease better. “It would also be helpful to know whether the patient has gotten any better before they come to me again,” she adds. When asked about what information she wants to give the patients except the time and dosage of the medicine, she includes “the correct way to take it and its side effects.”
User Classes
- Doctors
- Characteristics: middle age, very busy, has a lot of patients to deal with, very knowledgeable about disease and medicine
- Needs and Goals:
- want to know if patients have taken the medications correctly
- want to know if the medications are effective or have any side effects
- is interested about the progress of the illness
- like direct feedback from patients a lot
- Elderly patients
- Characteristics: old age, may have variable lifestyles to accommodate (ex: sedentary, athletic, active, busy), may have variable physical/mental/emotional capabilities
- Needs and Goals:
- for the self-medication process to be quick and easy yet hopefully always correct
- does not want having to take medication to interfere with lifestyle
- wants medications to do what they are supposed to