The patient journey map: Improving the emergency department communication experience for patients... more The patient journey map: Improving the emergency department communication experience for patients and their family and friends. Stephanie VandenBerg, Heather Hair, Gillian Harvey, Eddy Lang, David Stringer Background: The 2013 Urban and Regional Emergency Department (ED) Patient Experience Report indicates that the most important factor influencing a patients’ ED experience is a combination of staff care and communication. Lack of communication in the emergency room experience can be addressed by design methods and processes. The Emergency Strategic Care NetworkTM assembled an interdisciplinary team of experts from various clinical, academic, and information design backgrounds to engage patients, families and providers to improve the ED intake experience. This innovative partnership resulted in the development of a graphic information system that directs, informs and educates patients in EDs in Alberta. Implementation: Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, focus groups were ...
Conference Proceedings of the Academy for Design Innovation Management, 2019
The opioid crisis in Alberta is a public health crisis. In 2016, more people died from an opioid ... more The opioid crisis in Alberta is a public health crisis. In 2016, more people died from an opioid poisoning than from motor vehicle crashes. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist which means that it can reverse an opioid overdose for a period of 30–60 minutes, at which point, the overdose may return. In December 2015, the Take Home Naloxone (THN) Program was rolled out in response to the opioid crisis. Under the renamed the Community Based Naloxone Kit Program (CBNP), naloxone kits are now available free of cost at many pharmacies and community clinics around Alberta. The wide availability has led to a new challenge—that the kits may be used by people who have received little to no training.Some may encounter the kit instructions for the first time when there is an emergency in which they need to administer an injection urgently to someone who has passed out. Studies have found that most overdoses occur in the presence of another person—this provides an opportunity for someone to interven...
Americans died from accidental opioid overdoses-triple the number of deaths caused by motor vehic... more Americans died from accidental opioid overdoses-triple the number of deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents. This public health crisis is so severe that by 2017, Canadian life expectancy stopped increasing for the first time in four decades. The distribution of Naloxone kits (emergency first aid for opioid overdoses) has revealed the need for alternative ways to get training, kits, and education to audiences who are at risk of overdose. We report on an interdisciplinary study designed to better understand the barriers to adopting and using Naloxone kits for opioid overdoses. Data from the pilot phase of our research suggest that several opportunities exist in which design methods can help identify and address these barriers.
Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations... more Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations, growing drug ineffectiveness, health mis/disinformation and access to comprehensive services are just a few of the challenges faced today. Design offers methods, practices and processes to help address these challenges. While design and health have a long history of working together, much of this work has been limited. In this article, we make the case for further opportunities for design and health to work together in deep, innovative and human ways. We start by reviewing the transforming space(s) of design, moving on to a discussion of the similarities between healthcare and design. Next, we present three case studies that employ design methods and processes within healthcare settings, exploring new opportunities for synergy. We conclude by summarizing the areas of opportunity uncovered through these case studies, articulating future possibilities for design and healthcare to collaborate.
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 2020
Objective: The purpose of this methodology is to provide the designers of wayfinding systems in h... more Objective: The purpose of this methodology is to provide the designers of wayfinding systems in healthcare facilities a process for evaluating and optimizing a design prior to implementation. The use of this methodology can improve patient experience in hospitals by preventing the installation of confusing, incomplete, and/or frustrating wayfinding systems. Background: Despite known wayfinding and information design principles, wayfinding continues to be a challenge in healthcare environments. One reason is that the design of wayfinding systems is rarely evaluated with end users prior to implementation. The methodology outlined in this article is an application of usability testing that involves end users navigating a space using prototyped signage and other elements of a wayfinding system to determine the effectiveness of the system and identify improvement opportunities. This methodology was developed for use in an emergency department that had outdated signage and required a new ...
This paper visualizes and discusses the data collected in an iterative design project to improve ... more This paper visualizes and discusses the data collected in an iterative design project to improve the design of instructions for how to use naloxone kits. In addition to a discussion about participant demographics, it presents the usability testing data and will use several data visualizations to illustrate the information that could be found, information that was used correctly and accurately, and overall performance level achieved. This paper will also present the observations that were made in the testing and comment on how the variations in design affected the comprehension of the instructions. It will visually explain and discuss the data collected in the design and comment on the importance of data collection and visualization in an interdisciplinary health design project. The project has proven the need for an evidence-based, human centred design approach to the redesign of any kind of procedural instruction that is to be read and understood in an emergency situation.
Stating the goals at the beginning of the instructions allows readers to familiarize themselves w... more Stating the goals at the beginning of the instructions allows readers to familiarize themselves with the instructions more quickly, remember the instructions and feel reassured about their actions. Dixon, from the University of Alberta, Canada, studies the psychology behind using instructions. He makes a distinction between procedural instructions -- instructions that need to be completed in order - and any other type of instructions that can be completed in random order. For example, filling in the blanks on a survey in any order will yield the same results as filling in the blanks in order - the form will be complete. He suggests that procedural instructions are unique in that readers must construct a mental model before they can complete the task. Usually, any instructions that need to be completed in order also require additional pre-planning on the part of the reader. If people are able to familiarize themselves with the procedure, then they will be able to start planning how they would carry it out. The importance of the summary is not to provide detail about the steps. There is a section at the beginning of our conflict resolution manual that contains general information, an introductory message and an overview of the way that the manual is laid out. It talks about the broad areas involved in problem solving (they are labeled "get ready", "get set" and "go") and then more individual areas covering the six steps in any problem solving process. One way that we resolved the problem of having to present a summary to the reader was to show the information on the procedure as an introductory, double-paged spread. This double-paged spread introduces information about the broad areas involved in problem solving and briefly introduces all six steps. While Figure i shows a summary designed to be read as a double-page spread, Figure 2 is another way of presenting the information, organized differently, on one page. It is a much less detailed way of presenting the broad areas of problem solving and then giving the six steps. However, it gives the reader much more of an overall map of the procedure that is described in more detail on the subsequent pages.
Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations... more Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations, growing drug ineffectiveness, health mis/disinformation and access to comprehensive services are just a few of the challenges faced today. Design offers methods, practices and processes to help address these challenges. While design and health have a long history of working together, much of this work has been limited. In this article, we make the case for further opportunities for design and health to work together in deep, innovative and human ways. We start by reviewing the transforming space(s) of design, moving on to a discussion of the similarities between healthcare and design. Next, we present three case studies that employ design methods and processes within healthcare settings, exploring new opportunities for synergy. We conclude by summarizing the areas of opportunity uncovered through these case studies, articulating future possibilities for design and healthcare to collabo...
The patient journey map: Improving the emergency department communication experience for patients... more The patient journey map: Improving the emergency department communication experience for patients and their family and friends. Stephanie VandenBerg, Heather Hair, Gillian Harvey, Eddy Lang, David Stringer Background: The 2013 Urban and Regional Emergency Department (ED) Patient Experience Report indicates that the most important factor influencing a patients’ ED experience is a combination of staff care and communication. Lack of communication in the emergency room experience can be addressed by design methods and processes. The Emergency Strategic Care NetworkTM assembled an interdisciplinary team of experts from various clinical, academic, and information design backgrounds to engage patients, families and providers to improve the ED intake experience. This innovative partnership resulted in the development of a graphic information system that directs, informs and educates patients in EDs in Alberta. Implementation: Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, focus groups were ...
Conference Proceedings of the Academy for Design Innovation Management, 2019
The opioid crisis in Alberta is a public health crisis. In 2016, more people died from an opioid ... more The opioid crisis in Alberta is a public health crisis. In 2016, more people died from an opioid poisoning than from motor vehicle crashes. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist which means that it can reverse an opioid overdose for a period of 30–60 minutes, at which point, the overdose may return. In December 2015, the Take Home Naloxone (THN) Program was rolled out in response to the opioid crisis. Under the renamed the Community Based Naloxone Kit Program (CBNP), naloxone kits are now available free of cost at many pharmacies and community clinics around Alberta. The wide availability has led to a new challenge—that the kits may be used by people who have received little to no training.Some may encounter the kit instructions for the first time when there is an emergency in which they need to administer an injection urgently to someone who has passed out. Studies have found that most overdoses occur in the presence of another person—this provides an opportunity for someone to interven...
Americans died from accidental opioid overdoses-triple the number of deaths caused by motor vehic... more Americans died from accidental opioid overdoses-triple the number of deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents. This public health crisis is so severe that by 2017, Canadian life expectancy stopped increasing for the first time in four decades. The distribution of Naloxone kits (emergency first aid for opioid overdoses) has revealed the need for alternative ways to get training, kits, and education to audiences who are at risk of overdose. We report on an interdisciplinary study designed to better understand the barriers to adopting and using Naloxone kits for opioid overdoses. Data from the pilot phase of our research suggest that several opportunities exist in which design methods can help identify and address these barriers.
Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations... more Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations, growing drug ineffectiveness, health mis/disinformation and access to comprehensive services are just a few of the challenges faced today. Design offers methods, practices and processes to help address these challenges. While design and health have a long history of working together, much of this work has been limited. In this article, we make the case for further opportunities for design and health to work together in deep, innovative and human ways. We start by reviewing the transforming space(s) of design, moving on to a discussion of the similarities between healthcare and design. Next, we present three case studies that employ design methods and processes within healthcare settings, exploring new opportunities for synergy. We conclude by summarizing the areas of opportunity uncovered through these case studies, articulating future possibilities for design and healthcare to collaborate.
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 2020
Objective: The purpose of this methodology is to provide the designers of wayfinding systems in h... more Objective: The purpose of this methodology is to provide the designers of wayfinding systems in healthcare facilities a process for evaluating and optimizing a design prior to implementation. The use of this methodology can improve patient experience in hospitals by preventing the installation of confusing, incomplete, and/or frustrating wayfinding systems. Background: Despite known wayfinding and information design principles, wayfinding continues to be a challenge in healthcare environments. One reason is that the design of wayfinding systems is rarely evaluated with end users prior to implementation. The methodology outlined in this article is an application of usability testing that involves end users navigating a space using prototyped signage and other elements of a wayfinding system to determine the effectiveness of the system and identify improvement opportunities. This methodology was developed for use in an emergency department that had outdated signage and required a new ...
This paper visualizes and discusses the data collected in an iterative design project to improve ... more This paper visualizes and discusses the data collected in an iterative design project to improve the design of instructions for how to use naloxone kits. In addition to a discussion about participant demographics, it presents the usability testing data and will use several data visualizations to illustrate the information that could be found, information that was used correctly and accurately, and overall performance level achieved. This paper will also present the observations that were made in the testing and comment on how the variations in design affected the comprehension of the instructions. It will visually explain and discuss the data collected in the design and comment on the importance of data collection and visualization in an interdisciplinary health design project. The project has proven the need for an evidence-based, human centred design approach to the redesign of any kind of procedural instruction that is to be read and understood in an emergency situation.
Stating the goals at the beginning of the instructions allows readers to familiarize themselves w... more Stating the goals at the beginning of the instructions allows readers to familiarize themselves with the instructions more quickly, remember the instructions and feel reassured about their actions. Dixon, from the University of Alberta, Canada, studies the psychology behind using instructions. He makes a distinction between procedural instructions -- instructions that need to be completed in order - and any other type of instructions that can be completed in random order. For example, filling in the blanks on a survey in any order will yield the same results as filling in the blanks in order - the form will be complete. He suggests that procedural instructions are unique in that readers must construct a mental model before they can complete the task. Usually, any instructions that need to be completed in order also require additional pre-planning on the part of the reader. If people are able to familiarize themselves with the procedure, then they will be able to start planning how they would carry it out. The importance of the summary is not to provide detail about the steps. There is a section at the beginning of our conflict resolution manual that contains general information, an introductory message and an overview of the way that the manual is laid out. It talks about the broad areas involved in problem solving (they are labeled "get ready", "get set" and "go") and then more individual areas covering the six steps in any problem solving process. One way that we resolved the problem of having to present a summary to the reader was to show the information on the procedure as an introductory, double-paged spread. This double-paged spread introduces information about the broad areas involved in problem solving and briefly introduces all six steps. While Figure i shows a summary designed to be read as a double-page spread, Figure 2 is another way of presenting the information, organized differently, on one page. It is a much less detailed way of presenting the broad areas of problem solving and then giving the six steps. However, it gives the reader much more of an overall map of the procedure that is described in more detail on the subsequent pages.
Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations... more Current health-care systems are confronted with progressively complex demands: ageing populations, growing drug ineffectiveness, health mis/disinformation and access to comprehensive services are just a few of the challenges faced today. Design offers methods, practices and processes to help address these challenges. While design and health have a long history of working together, much of this work has been limited. In this article, we make the case for further opportunities for design and health to work together in deep, innovative and human ways. We start by reviewing the transforming space(s) of design, moving on to a discussion of the similarities between healthcare and design. Next, we present three case studies that employ design methods and processes within healthcare settings, exploring new opportunities for synergy. We conclude by summarizing the areas of opportunity uncovered through these case studies, articulating future possibilities for design and healthcare to collabo...
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Papers by Gillian Harvey