As Tech Boosts Patient-Centered Healthcare, Stevens Researcher Focuses on Human Perspective

Medicine is changing quickly, fueled by digital technologies.

The question of how doctors, patients and technology can work together in this digital era more effectively is at the heart of Stevens researcher Onur Asan’s work.

Asan, a professor in the university's School of Systems & Enterprises (SSE), applies his expertise in human factors engineering and human-computer interaction to improve socio-technic healthcare systems, user experiences, healthcare communications and patient outcomes. His research reflects a recent shift in healthcare toward a model that is more patient-centered.

In one project, Asan collaborates with the University of Pennsylvania to improve efficiency in lung cancer screening for veterans. The work involves a shared decision-making tool that supplies information on screenings and on lung cancer, helping doctors and veterans make the best choices. A grant from PCORI (the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) supports the work.

Another collaboration, with the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, looks at real-time, open electronic health record data shared between the doctors and parents of children in pediatric intensive care units, examining how digital exchanges of health data influence patient-centered care.

“Parents can be more involved and engaged in the decision-making, and they can adhere to the necessary treatment steps after being discharged,” he explains.

Asan also leads Stevens' Humans-Systems Interaction Lab, a multi-disciplinary research facility where student experiences include visits to hospitals and clinics, meetings with patients and data collection.