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Geriatric Depression Screener (GDS)
The 15-question Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a validated self-report questionnaire assessing depression in older adults, requiring around 5 minutes for completion. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms. Prevalent in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), depression impacts 32% of individuals with MCI. GDS-15, widely employed in primary care, serves as a valuable screener for late-life depression. We chose the 15-question version for its efficiency and ease of administration, finding it more suitable for older adults than the considered PHQ-9. A reliable tool for detecting depressive symptoms in MCI and dementia, this assessment will contribute to Linus Clinical Pathways in the future.
Instant Results
Following the design of our initial assessment in 2021, we identified a gap. Medical Assistants (MAs) are a primary user and need instant result access on the testing device. Within one quarter, we successfully implemented this feature for our customers. Now, it has become a standard practice for each assessment to deliver scores promptly on the Admin App, with accompanying access to the PDF through a web view. This streamlined process allows MAs to efficiently triage next steps. Additionally, the PDF is automatically uploaded to the Electronic Health Record (EHR), eliminating the need for Providers to access the Linus Portal.
PERSONAS
Older Adults/Patients (aged 55+): This user would be an older adult (him/her/them), who may live independently in the community or in an assistive facility and may visit clinics for regular or acute check-ups. In the Linus platform Patients will have the ability to take assessments and view patient facing reports.
Practice Managers: The person who manages the operational aspects of a clinic or practice. In the Linus platform they will have a Clinical Administrator role and have the ability to add and deactivate users in the system.
Clinicians (ex: MD, DO, NP, PA, RN, MA): This can be any healthcare provider or other qualified healthcare professional. In the Linus platform they will have the Clinician role which will give them the ability to add patients, administer assessments and view reports and recommendations.
Primary Site Contacts, Manager Role: These are contacts at our clinical sites who may have responsibility across multiple sites and may want to view patients across many clinic locations within a parent organization. In the Linus platform, Managers have the ability to view the web portal for multiple clinic locations, but they cannot administer assessments.
Linus Admin: A Linus Health employee in the Customer Support department who configures the software for customers and access the system data to help troubleshoot and guide customers through their use of the system.
Researcher: An academic, pharmaceutical or clinical researcher interested in capturing and analyzing tremor or cognitive assessment data.
Personas
With the introduction of every new feature or assessment requiring testing, we either expand our existing collection of personas or add new personas to the current set we've developed.
Fictional characters derived from our user experience research, these personas represent diverse user types interacting with our product or service features. Essential for understanding user needs, experiences, behaviors, and goals, personas facilitate empathy and guide our design process, aiding in creating a positive user experience for the target group.