April Savoy, PhD

Contact : asavoy@iu.edu

The most useful and usable health information technology is patient-centered, evidence-based, and systematically engineered.

Initiatives

Research Scientist, William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research, Regenstrief Institute
Research Scientist, IU Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute
Core Investigator, VA Health Systems Research Center for Health Information and Communication
Director, VA HSR Human-Computer Interaction and Simulation Laboratory
Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology

Dr. April Savoy’s research interests include the application of human factors engineering to develop, evaluate, and implement socio-technical interventions that will increase efficiency of clinical workflows, enhance care coordination, and improve the quality of healthcare delivery. She has more than 13 years of experience in human factors engineering from industry and academia. Her work has focused on designing information technologies that enhance situational awareness and decision-making across domains including ecommerce, gaming, and military. Since 2014, she has applied her human factors engineering expertise and multi-domain experience to healthcare. Dr. Savoy has developed and evaluated socio-technical interventions that better support and inform healthcare decision-making by healthcare professionals across care settings.

Recently, Dr. Savoy was awarded a Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health. Her project’s goal is to increase awareness of hypoglycemic risks and shared decisions about treatment options among patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Diabetes, caregivers, and primary care clinicians.

Dr. Savoy obtained degrees in computer science from Xavier University of Louisiana (B.S.) and Purdue University (M.S.). Her degree in industrial engineering is from Purdue University (PhD).

Featured Projects

Enhanced shared decision-making to prompt and guide individualized care for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Diabetes

NIH (7/2022 – 6/2027)

Role: Principal Investigator

This project’s goal is to increase awareness of hypoglycemic risks and shared decisions about treatment options among patients with ADRD-DM, caregivers, and primary care clinicians. To that end, I will design an assistive information technology leveraging continuous glucose monitoring and evaluate its impact on care.

Developing E-Triggers to Detect Telemedicine Related Diagnostic Safety Events

AHRQ (12/2022 – 11/2026)

Role: Co-Investigator

In this project we will first understand what aspects of telemedicine may involve risks of misdiagnosis, then develop electronic methods to identify telemedicine visits where misdiagnosis may have occurred, and finally use all this knowledge to develop risk assessment guidance tools that health care organizations, providers, and patients can use to reduce any risks of misdiagnosis associated with telemedicine.

Improving clinicians’ hypoglycemia awareness for marginalized patients with type 2 diabetes

IU Health (10/2022 – 10/2025)

Role: Principal Inestigator

A Human Factors Investigation of Health Information Exchange: Tools to Support Providers’ Coordination of Medications

(IIR – VA HSR&D, PI: Weiner) (2018-2022)

To identify providers’ underlying cognitive needs in order to develop technology design guidelines for presenting VA and HIE medication data.

Role: Co-Investigator

Improving Patient Care and Physician Resilience through Effective Veteran-Centered Communication and Documentation Practices

(IIR – VA HSR&D, PI: Frankel) (2018-2023)

The objective is to optimize clinician use of computer-based technology in managing the administrative burdens of preparing for, enacting and documenting ambulatory visits.

Role: Co-Investigator

Coordination Hub to Promote Research Optimizing Veteran-centric EHR

(SDR – VA HSR&D) (2020-2022)

This nationwide VA hub will support, promote, and enhance health services research and development related to modernization of the electronic health record; deliver timely and actionable research findings to VA decision-makers to improve implementation of the electronic health record.

Role: Co-Investigator

Strengthening Cerner Implementation for Health Professions Trainees to Optimize Learning and Reinforce Veteran Care

(SCHOLAR) (PEC – VA HSR&D) (2021-2023)

The primary goal of this project is to optimize VA’s electronic health record (EHR) transition to support health professions trainees.

Role: Co-Investigator

Highlighted Publications

Nov 17, 2022

Improving care for people living with dementia and diabetes: Applying the human-centered design process to continuous glucose monitoring

Publication: Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology

doi: 10.1177/19322968221137907

Authors: Savoy A, Holden R, de Groot M, Clark D, Sachs G, Klonoff D, Weiner M

Sept 22, 2022

Electronic CO-Design (ECO-Design) workshop for increasing clinician participation in the design of health services interventions

Publication: JMIR Human Factors

doi: 10.2196/37313

Authors: Savoy A, Patel H, Shahid U, Offner AD, Singh H, Giardina T, and Meyer A

Jan 4, 2022

Clinician Perspectives on Unmet Needs for Mobile Technology Among Hospitalists: Workflow Analysis Based on Semistructured Interviews.

Publication: JMIR Human Factors

doi: 10.2196/28783.

Authors: Savoy A, Saleem JJ, Barker BC, Patel H, Kara A.

Oct 2021

Dashboards for visual display of patient safety data: a systematic review.

Publication: BMJ Health Care Informatics

doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2021-100437

Authors: Murphy DR, Savoy A, Satterly T, Sittig DF, Singh H

May 2021

Electronic Health Records' Support for Primary Care Physicians' Situation Awareness: A Metanarrative Review

Publication: Human Factors

doi: 10.1177/00187208211014300

Authors: Savoy A, Patel H, Murphy DR, Meyer AND, Herout J, Singh H.

Mar 2021

Clinical Thinking via Electronic Note Templates: Who Benefits?

Publication: General Internal Medicine

doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06376-y

Authors: Savoy A, Frankel R, Weiner M

Nov 2020

Gains, losses, and uncertainties from computerizing referrals and consultations

Publication: Applied Ergonomics

doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103227

Authors: Weiner M, Savoy A, Barker BC

Jun 2020

Closing the cross-institutional referral loop: Applying human factors to improve consultations

Publication: Clinical and Translational Science

doi: 10.1017/cts.2020.171

Authors: Savoy A, Weiner M, Damush

Sep 2019

Cognitive requirements for primary care providers during the referral process: Information needed from and interactions with an electronic health record system

Publication: Int'l. Journal of Medical Informatics

doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.05.027

Authors: Savoy A, Militello L, Diiulio J, Midboe AM, Weiner M, Abbaszadegan H, Herout J

Sep 2018

A cognitive systems engineering design approach to improve the usability of electronic order forms for medical consultation

Publication: Journal of Biomedical Informatics

doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2018.07.021

Authors: Savoy A, Militello LG, Patel H, Flanagan ME, Russ AL, Daggy JK, Weiner M, Saleem JJ

May 10, 2018

Hidden complexities in information flow between primary and specialty care clinics

Publication: Cognition, Technology & Work

doi: 10.1007/s10111-018-0486-y

Authors: Militello LG, Savoy A, Porter B, Flanagan M, Wu J, Adams J, Rehman S, Abbaszadegan H, Weiner M

Nov, 2018

Comparative usability evaluation of consultation order templates in a simulated primary care environment

Publication: Applied Ergonomics

doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2018.05.013

Authors: Savoy A, Patel H, Flanagan ME, Daggy JK, Russ AL, Weiner M

Nov 23, 2017

Investigating the need for clinicians to use tablet computers with a newly envisioned electronic health record

Publication: Int'l. Journal of Medical Informatics

doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2017.11.013

Authors: Saleem JJ, Savoy A, Etherton G, Herout J

Aug 20017

Systematic Heuristic Evaluation of Computerized Consultation Order Templates: Clinicians' and Human Factors Engineers' Perspectives

Publication: Journal of Medical Systems

doi: 10.1007/s10916-017-0775-7

Authors: Savoy A, Patel H, Flanagan ME, Weiner M, Russ AL

In The News

Influence

Featured Fellowship

People

NewsNew digital marker could improve childhood asthma detection

InfluenceHealth care workforce recovery after the end of the COVID-19 emergency

NewsRegenstrief Research Scientist featured in PBS Documentary on aging

InfluenceIU Health and Regenstrief Institute Quarterly Networking Event

NewsRegenstrief health information expert to speak at 2025 international digital health conference in Switzerland

New digital marker could improve childhood asthma...

April Savoy, PhD

Featured Projects

Highlighted Publications