New Ways for Patients to Make Sense of Their Electronic Health Record Data Using the Discovery Web Application: Think-Aloud Evaluation Study.BACKGROUND
 To overcome the limitations of EHR patient portals, we designed and developed Discovery-a web-based application that aggregates EHR data from multiple providers and present them to the patient for efficient exploration and sensemaking.  To learn how well Discovery meets the patients' sensemaking needs and what features should such applications include, we conducted an evaluation study.


 The audio materials were transcribed for analysis and the video recordings of the users' interactions with Discovery were annotated to provide additional context.  These combined textual data were thematically analyzed to surface themes that reflect how participants used Discovery's features, what sensemaking of their EHR data really entails, and what features are desirable to support that process better.


 We found that Discovery provided much needed features and could be used in a variety of everyday scenarios, especially for preparing and during clinical visits and also for raising awareness, reflection, and planning.  According to the study participants, Discovery provided a robust set of features for supporting independent exploration and sensemaking of their EHR data: summary and quick overview of the data, finding prevalence, periodicity, co-occurrence, and pre-post of medical events, as well as comparing medical record types and subtypes across providers. 
Discovery
New Ways for Patients to Make Sense of Their Electronic Health Record Data Using the Discovery Web Application: Think-Aloud Evaluation Study.BACKGROUND

the Discovery Web Application
In the United States, patients can access their electronic health record (EHR) data through patient portals.  However, current patient portals are mainly focused on a single provider, with very limited data sharing capabilities and put low emphasis on independent sensemaking of the EHR data.  To overcome the limitations of EHR patient portals, we designed and developed Discovery-a web-based application that aggregates EHR data from multiple providers and present them to the patient for efficient exploration and sensemaking. 
patient portals
However, current patient portals are mainly focused on a single provider, with very limited data sharing capabilities and put low emphasis on independent sensemaking of the EHR data. 
the EHR data
To overcome the limitations of EHR patient portals, we designed and developed Discovery-a web-based application that aggregates EHR data from multiple providers and present them to the patient for efficient exploration and sensemaking. 
Discovery-a web-based application