Inspiring Innovation in Palliative Care
client: Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation
project role: Design Researcher / Graphic Designer
outputs: Design Research/ Low-Resolution Prototypes
"Inspiring Innovation in Palliative Care", arose from an opportunity granted to seven Design Interns at the Mayo Clinic for Innovation. The Interns were given the chance to engage in a project of their own choosing for one day a week. What follows is the result of this combination of freedom, the Mayo Clinic context, a short time line and a group of passionate, energetic young designers.
After an initial brainstorm of fresh and interesting design opportunities within health care, the group was drawn to palliative care as a provocative and exciting space for innovation. The team was eager to investigate the space relating to suffering, care options and end-of-life that most of society chooses to keep silent about.
Methodology
In order to gain an understanding of the current state of palliative care, the team used a rapid form of the existing Center for Innovation Methodology. To scan and frame the problem, the team researched grey literature and medical journals in order to define the scope of the project. During the researching and experimentation phase, the team attended a presentations, interviewed experts in palliative care and shadowed members of the Palliative Care team during consults. The team then synthesized their findings and insights to help create around one hundred low-resolution prototypes.
Shadowing Palliative Care team members highlighted how the multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, chaplains, and social workers interacted with patients, their families, and other providers worked together within the clinic. In order to gain understanding of the current perceptions of palliative care within Mayo, the team interviewed physicians in the fields of oncology and general internal medicine. These interviews provided insight into how physicians view the role of palliative care and which circumstances they would consider referring their patients to Palliative Care.