This project focused on redesigning and improving the patient-friendliness of the LEAP report while preserving its functionality for physicians. Key improvements included defining medical jargon, replacing arbitrary benchmarks with interquartile range (IQR) comparisons, and incorporating graphs that display long-term trends in functional and strength assessments related to ACL recovery. The updated LEAP report enables patients to understand where they stand relative to others at a similar postoperative stage and interpret what the graphs mean for their injured limb strength. When patients gain a clearer understanding of the physical and psychological factors involved in returning to physical activity, they are better equipped to engage in and commit to their recovery.

Through this project, we learned that visual intelligence is critical for designing graphs and plots that communicate information effectively, particularly to an audience of ACL recovery patients. Overuse of medical jargon and excessive details on a graph can make it overwhelming, the intended message to be lost. By removing arbitrary standards (unsupported by clinical evidence) and replacing them with IQR ranges in graphs measuring LSI (Limb Symmetry Index) for tests such as the triple hop, single hop, and quadriceps and hamstring strength symmetry, we significantly enhanced the report’s clarity and patient-friendliness. We found that even without altering the underlying data, simply improving the way it is presented can greatly increase a patient’s ability to understand and engage with it.

This project was particularly meaningful for our development as data scientists. We practiced essential skills such as data cleaning and exploratory analysis to identify trends and correlations, critical steps in any data science workflow. These insights informed our redesign of the LEAP report, allowing us to develop more informative and digestible visualizations. Ultimately, we used our analytical and design skills to create a report that communicates recovery progress more effectively to patients while still serving the needs of physicians.