Human-centered Design of Patient Interviews: Capturing the Experiences of Patients Recovering From Emergency Abdominal Surgery

OBJECTIVES: Recognizing the challenges of at-home recovery following a truncated presurgical pathway for emergency laparotomy (EL) patients, we sought to identify barriers and facilitators to optimal recovery. This study aimed to develop a human-centered interview guide to capture the experiences of patients recovering at home after EL.

METHODS: We employed an iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach to interview guide development, structured across 3 cycles. Each cycle refined the interview guide based on mock interviews and feedback from an interdisciplinary team. In cycle 1, we focused on creating a patient-centered, understandable guide. In cycle 2, we introduced a preinterview survey to tailor and shorten the interview process. In cycle 3, we automatically integrated patient responses from the survey into the interview guide, streamlining the workflow for interviewers.

RESULTS: The HCD process yielded a comprehensive, efficient interview guide responsive to both patient and interviewer needs. The integration of a preinterview survey reduced the cognitive load for patients and minimized interviewer preparation time, facilitating in-depth patient discussions on EL recovery experiences.

CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the value of HCD in research measurement design and tool development. The finalized guide enhances patient-centered data collection, reduces interviewer errors, and supports meaningful insights into EL recovery. This reusable protocol may benefit other researchers working on similar patient safety studies.