Implementation of an Alert Notification Module in a Hospital Mobile App

Summary

A US healthcare provider already running a care coordination app built by INNERLUXES wanted to give hospital staff faster, mobile awareness of on-site events. INNERLUXES added an alert notification module that surfaces alerts from nurse call buttons at patients' beds and from sensor-equipped doors, with clear take, complete, and reassign workflows and per-zone alert sounds. Delivered in three months and integrated with the existing solution, the module fits seamlessly into the app the staff already use.

About the Client

The Client is a US provider of patient-centric Health Information Exchange (HIE) software for hospitals, pharmacies, labs, and other healthcare organizations.

Staff Needed On-the-Go Awareness of Patient and Location Alerts

The Client already had web and mobile care coordination solutions implemented by INNERLUXES. This time, they wanted to add a new feature to their mobile app so hospital employees could receive alert notifications either from nurse call buttons at patients' beds or from door sensors signaling someone's presence at a particular hospital location. INNERLUXES took on the task of expanding the app's functionality as requested.

An Alert Notification Module Built Into the Existing App

Over three months, an INNERLUXES team of one front-end and one back-end developer implemented the alert notification module. The final app reacts both to a patient's intentional press of a button at their bed and to any trigger at sensor-equipped doors. The feature was designed to match the interface of the existing app so it would fit the solution seamlessly. Its workflow was built around quick, unambiguous handling of each request:

• Active notifications list — each request shows its date and time, location, device, and patient (where applicable), with new notifications marked by a red dot.
• Take Alert — opening a notification displays it full-screen; tapping Take Alert assigns it, after which it no longer appears on other users' devices, preventing duplicate responses.
• Complete or reassign — after fulfilling a request, a care attendant swipes the notification to mark it Complete; if their help proves insufficient they can opt out and add a note describing the circumstances and any further action needed, and the untaken notification reappears for other users with a yellow dot to indicate prior activity.
• Per-zone alert sounds — every hospital location, or "zone", has its own alert sound chosen from the app's built-in library, so a care attendant immediately knows which direction to head after a notification.

A Seamlessly Integrated Feature and a Roadmap for More

• The alert notification system and its back end were successfully integrated with the original care coordination solution.
• The new feature matched the existing app's interface, so staff adopted it without a separate learning curve.
• The Client is enthusiastic about extending the app further and plans to have INNERLUXES implement a group co-worker chat with text messages and video calls.

Technologies and Tools

Mobile: JavaScript (ES6), React Native.

Back end: Java 7, Spring, Hibernate, Microsoft SQL Server.