As part of the 2008 Computer-Human Interaction (CHI) Student Design Competition we conceptualized a web-based communication system to improve communication between health care professionals and service providers who work with the homeless. Our design for Homeless HealthShare was one of 12 designs accepted as a finalist.

In order to understand the issues surrounding homelessness, we interviewed 14 service providers and health care professionals who work with the homeless. One important insight resulting from those interviews was the fact that what little communication there is between these parties - such as social workers and doctors - is inefficient. We learned that social workers, who work with clients on a regular basis, often know important medical information (i.e. client X is not taking his medication) that never reaches doctors, who meet with patients less frequently. We also learned that social workers and case managers already have procedures and waivers in place to allow them to share relavent medical information with medical professionals. The problem is that the main avenue for sharing such information is the phone - which requires both parties to be present.

Our solution addresses the communications issues by providing a way for case managers to enter important medical information for their clients. On the other side, health care professionals can access the information, receive updates about patients, and even see which patients have been flagged as "at risk."