Architecture and Design of a Patient-Friendly eHealth Web Application: Patient Information Leaflets and Supplementary Services

Abstract

Patients benefit from information on pharmaceuticals and most patients are willing to read patient information leaflets for their pharmaceuticals. However, the quality of written information on pharmaceuticals leaves room for improvement. To mend insufficiencies of patient information leaflets, an alternative approach for provision of information on pharmaceuticals is illustrated. We present the design and architecture of a web application that provides information in patient information leaflets as well as supplementary services. With a web application supplementary services that cannot as easily be realised with patient information leaflets can be offered. An open-source framework with a robust architecture for rapid application development serves as a foundation of the web application. In combination with the proposed design and architecture, this leads to an extensible, reliable, scalable, customisable and patient-friendly web application with high availability.

Keywords: web application, usability, patient information leaflet, written information, pharmaceutical, architecture, design