Using co-design methods to create a patient-oriented discharge summary

Objective: To describe the co-design process we undertook to create a patient-oriented discharge summary (PODS) with patients, caregivers, and providers. • Method: Descriptive report. • Results: We designed and produced a prototype PODS, based on best practices in information design, graphic design, and patient education. Through a co-design process, patients, health care providers, designers and system planners worked together to establish what content needed to be included, as well as how it would be organized and presented. From an initial prototype, we then refined the PODS through an iterative participatory design process involving patients, including those from hard-to-reach groups such as patients with language barriers and/or low health literacy and patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis. • Conclusion: Co-design events and targeted focus groups are very useful for engaging patients and caregivers in the design and development of solutions aimed at improving their experience of care. It is important to include all users, especially those who are harder to reach, such as patients with language barriers and mental health conditions. Engaging health care providers is essential to ensure feasibility of those solutions.