2024 Ins: Continuously Transforming Healthcare in Panama

It’s the new year, and among many of Frontda’s 2024 ins, we are deeply committed to continuous learning. As we strive for innovation and breakthroughs, we are thrilled to improve the work of doctors serving low-resource communities. 

During the second half of 2023, our software developers worked tirelessly on a Claris model of our community-informed EHR system for our partner, Floating Doctors (FD). Dedicated to sustainable development, Floating Doctors offers essential health services to indigenous communities in Bocas del Toro, Panama. 

This model has the potential to enhance storage for its growing patient base, software accessibility, user learning, and clinic efficiency. At the start of this year, we have transitioned into the testing phase. In collaboration with FD medical professionals, our developers follow a meticulous process in approach to a successful launch, summarized below. 

Product Testing

User Testing Goals:

1. Ensuring the Claris product aligns with client requirements and criteria by analyzing where improvements to our existing Appsheet product can be made based on the continuous feedback received from Floating Doctors during meetings.
2. Verifying accessibility and understandability for users through testing.

User Friendliness:

1. Assessing ease of learning and intuitive use.
2. Conducting tests to confirm user-friendly interface and navigation, especially to demonstrate that each component is labeled clearly and located in the best position.

Data Quality Assurance:

1. Implementing built-in validations to automatically check for improper data entered into the system, raising an error when necessary.
2. Continuously checking for data cleanliness and standardization, using past Appsheet data as a reference for where the most errors occur.
3. Upholding accurate and consistent data entry for all patient records, as well as keeping patient records safe and updated.

Performance and Reliability:

1. Vigorously reviewing the product to identify and fix any errors and bugs.
2. Examining the standard workflow to ensure that no components are missing and all features work together as intended.
3. Regularly evaluating the product once it is deployed to guarantee optimal performance and reliability.

Outcome Expectations:

1. Building a product that is efficient and easy to use for medical professionals.
2. Focusing on making the platform easy to learn and use very quickly since the FD team consists of numerous medical volunteers.
3. Promoting high data integrity and minimal data error rates.

Testing Methodology:

1. Utilizing a mixture of internal team testing and external client feedback from Floating Doctors (both current and past members). 
2. Already have received feedback from inside the Product team and a former FD physician and Executive Director, Dr. Benjamin LaBrot, looking to expand into other stakeholders who are familiar with Floating Doctors’ workflow and can offer relevant feedback.

Future Improvements and Adjustments:

1. Planning for post-testing phase enhancements based on feedback. We have already received a great deal of quality feedback that has guided us on the next steps regarding development.
2. Updating and refining the product in the next few weeks/months based on feedback from further user testing.

‍

We aim to migrate our FD EHR system from the Appsheet platform to Claris following the success of our testing. Frontida believes this is a large step in democratizing high-quality healthcare across the Bocas del Toro archipelago and beyond. We thank the Floating Doctors team for their ongoing partnership with us in striving for a healthy future for all Panamanians.

‍