Sensemaking in Complex Patient Journeys: Designing of IoT Devices for Collaboration in Healthcare Ecosystems

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Presented at HICSS 2025 by

Melissa Akaka

Hope Schau

Chadd Clary

Innovation in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) is often driven by efforts to embed a wearable device with digital platforms that enable the collection of personal data. Numerous wearable IoT devices have been designed to provide biological and behavioral data to help patients collaborate with healthcare providers along their health and recovery journeys. In this study we explore a complex patient journey centered on the diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and rehabilitation associated with osteoarthritis. Through interviews and observations, we find that patients and healthcare professionals use a sensemaking process with important feedback loops for healthcare decisions. Sensemaking requires the codification of information throughout a journey that varies across healthcare professionals. Thus, for a wearable IoT device to support effective collaboration between a patient and members of its healthcare team, there must be a clear link between the value of the device and the competencies needed to use both the device and the data.