Abstract

Objective: A proof-of-concept study aimed at designing and implementing VIEWER, a versatile
toolkit for visual analytics of clinical data, and systematically evaluating its effectiveness across
various clinical applications while gathering feedback for iterative improvements.
Materials and Methods: VIEWER is an open-source and extensible toolkit that employs natural
language processing and interactive visualisation techniques to facilitate the rapid design, develop-
ment, and deployment of clinical information retrieval, analysis, and visualisation at the point of
care. Through an iterative and collaborative participatory design approach, VIEWER was designed
and implemented in one of the UK’s largest NHS mental health Trusts, where its clinical utility and
effectiveness were assessed using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Results: VIEWER provides interactive, problem-focused, and comprehensive views of longitudinal
patient data (n=409,870) from a combination of structured clinical data and unstructured clinical notes.
Despite a relatively short adoption period and users’ initial unfamiliarity, VIEWER significantly
improved performance and task completion speed compared to the standard clinical information
system. More than 1,000 users and partners in the hospital tested and used VIEWER, reporting high
satisfaction and expressed strong interest in incorporating VIEWER into their daily practice.
Discussion: VIEWER provides a cost-effective enhancement to the functionalities of standard clinical
information systems, with evaluation offering valuable feedback for future improvements.
Conclusion: VIEWER was developed to improve data accessibility and representation across various
aspects of healthcare delivery, including population health management and patient monitoring. The
deployment of VIEWER highlights the benefits of collaborative refinement in optimizing health
informatics solutions for enhanced patient care.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 7 Jan 2025

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