Content support for links to Veterans Health Library from medication details

[laurwill]

Background from the MHV team:

Summary: This support ticket addresses the need to include a link to specific medication information from the medication details pages. This addition aims to provide users with quick and easy access to authoritative and detailed medication information to enhance their overall healthcare experience.

Why: The objective behind adding this link is to empower users to better understand the medications they are prescribed or considering. By providing access to comprehensive medication information, we aim to enhance the user experience and contribute to their healthcare knowledge.

What: In line with our ongoing efforts to improve user experience, the content team is working to introduce a link on the medication details page. This link will redirect users to an external website where they can access comprehensive information about the selected medication.

How: The link will be established using the National Drug Code (NDC) codes associated with the medication. This link will connect users to more information about the specific medication on the vhlib.staywellsolutionsonline.com site. The connection will be facilitated through VHL's Krames API (VHL's license is valid through 2027).

It's worth mentioning that Cerner already employs a similar approach. In Cerner, the medication details modal features a "Learn more about this medication" link, which directs users to First Databank (FDB) using the Krames API in a new browser tab. This new tab may display a list of medications of the same or similar names, or take the user directly to that particular medication page.

When: While the developed solution doesn't need to be included in the Phase 0 MVP, it is essential to solidify a clear plan of action and incorporate it into the MHV PI 13 Planning, which is scheduled for November 6-9, 2023. Preparation for this PI Planning will begin on or after the week of October 18, 2023.

Who: Several tasks and responsibilities will be assigned to the UX team, including UCD and CAIA:

1. Link Placement: UCD + IA will decide on the optimal location to place the link on the medication details page.
2. Link Functionality: The IA team will confirm whether the link should open in a new browser tab or window or in the same tab.
3. Link Label and Content: The Content team will determine the link’s label, informational text, and the content of the link itself.
4. Mockup Creation: A Sketch mockup illustrating the addition of the link to the medication details page, along with a user flow will be created by the UCD team. This mockup will visually represent the proposed change, including annotations or descriptions for context. It will be shared with the project manager and development team for reference and to ensure a clear understanding of the intended design changes.
5. User Testing: The Research and Analytics UX specialists will be informed of this update. They will conduct user testing and monitor usage to verify that users can seamlessly navigate to First Databank/RxNORM and return to our platform without encountering any issues.
6. Documentation: Relevant documentation will be updated to reflect the addition of this link, including the content source of truth and any user guides or tooltips that reference medication details.

Business Requirements: Three key business requirements have been drafted as part of this initiative:

1. Add a link to the "View Details" section of a prescription on the My Medications Page that opens First Databank in a separate browser tab.
2. Ensure that on First Databank, the link works similarly to Cerner by filtering medications similar to the one clicked.
3. Create an Account Activity Log (AAL) entry on the click of the "Learn More" link, noting that the content of the link itself needs to be drafted before the AAL entry can be created.

[laurwill]

Thanks for adding the info about this request @alexiawunder ! Could you also confirm that the plan is to link to the .com version of these meds pages (like https://vhlib.staywellsolutionsonline.com/infobutton/208,11394-6309) and not to the .gov version (like https://www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov/MedicationsVA/208,11393-7061)?

[alexiawunder]

@laurwill Yes, you are correct. We are limited to the .com version.

[DanielleThierryUSDSVA]

Hi all! I want to flag that we'll need to talk about this further. I have some big concerns about linking to the .com version:

• As a practice, we don’t link to .coms from government websites for medical information. We only link to trusted government websites like CDC, FDA, etc.
• The header of the .com site is totally different with no broader connection to VA.
• Concerns about accessibility of the site itself (such as breadcrumbs, which appear to be “infobutton” for a medication page, for example).

Let's discuss further as a team.

cc @coultonbunney-usds @klawyer

[laurwill]

Update: Medications team is restarting this exploration in this Figma file: https://www.figma.com/design/UGHasFKuKENvKz8AgSmxtI/Medications?node-id=4708-34084&t=OWlJIlTkyeXEHSRq-0

[laurwill]

This work went in a different direction — meds tool is pulling in StayWell content into pages within the tool. We're not touching this content other than adding a disclaimer, which we've already provided to the team. Moving this to validate.