Take a look a these sweet illustrations by Emma Scheltema. Emma is an illustrator working in the lab who recently developed a set of drawings to explain the development of modern Anaesthesia. The campaign highlighted how far the practise has come from when it was first successfully trialled in 1846.
Here is a sampling of the imagery she developed for the project. See more of her beautiful illustrations here.
The research platform afforded by the DHW lab allows PhD students like Guy Collier to conduct forward thinking, rigorous design/health research.
Guy embarked on his PhD earlier this year, 'Medical Anthropology, Collaboration, & Designing for Mild Cognitive Impairment.'
The research aims to understand the experience of people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and analyse the day-to-day strategies and supports they find most helpful in managing their condition. In collaboration with AUT’s Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies and the Person Centred Research Centre (PCRC) , the interdisciplinary project will design and deliver a ‘user-centred’ digital resource for people with MCI.
The PhD component nested in this project applies an anthropological lens to the transfer of knowledge between design and the health sciences. The goal of this research is to promote critical reflection on the historical, cultural, social, and political-economic underpinnings of the MCI project in ways that (1) ensure more reflexive engagement between applied, social and scientific knowledges, and (2) contribute to the development of an appropriate design intervention.
Guy is currently at the AFRM/NZRA Combined Rehabilitation Meeting presenting his research project. We look forward to following Guy's research project as it develops.
After recent success at the Best Awards 2015, TV3 news ran a short story about what we are up to here in Auckland hospital. We are definitely not used to all the attention, but take it as confirmation that we are on the right track! Watch the clip here.
Further reading about the awards night can be found on the herald web site, where the lab also featured in the write up.
Since its formative stages, the Lab has recognised the need to establish credibility both within the healthcare and the wider design community.
At this years annual New Zealand Best Design Awards the DHW Lab was lucky enough to receive two awards, Silver in the Spatial Design category and a Purple Pin for the Public Good Award which recognises and celebrates work that has been undertaken for the welfare of communities and for public interest. The Purple Pin is the highest award given for work that raises the bar of New Zealand design.
The Lab would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors and everyone who has helped to get this venture up and running!
I have been thrilled to be a part of the lab for the past 10 months, and having the opportunity to work on projects I never thought I would be a part of. I have learnt how to co-design from the ground up, in a hands-on learning environment that has changed my way of design thinking. The inter-disciplinary nature of the lab has allowed me to collaborate with a range of designers, being part of projects all the way from branding and communication to spatial and product design.
The main thing I will take away from this experience are the pros and cons of being a “game-changer”. As a part of the lab, our goal is to improve the lives of staff and patients at Auckland Hospital, but in order to do so, we often 'rock the boat'. We are a completely new community for the hospital, and a big part of our job is learning how things are currently done to see whether we can make a positive change. I have met so many talented and caring staff, and being able to help them provide a better experience for their patients has been a highlight. I am so proud of all the work we do as a lab, and I can’t wait to return at the end of the year and continue improving lives with design, and mentoring AUT students at the start of their careers.
For the next six weeks I will be treking from Cape Town to Nairobi, helping out on Cheetah conservation projects, orphanages, and exploring everything there is to see in southern Africa. It will be an eye-opening experience seeing how another world lives, and I’m excited to see how I will be inspired when I return.
See you in six weeks, DHW Lab!
Diathermy refers to the production of heat in body tissues by electric currents, for therapeutic purposes. In Auckland City Hospital bipolar diathermy machines presented unclear information as to the correct port for each diathermy lead, creating confusion and potential safety concerns for both staff and patients. Subsequently there was a need to procure and commence use of a safer fixed end bipolar lead and explore preventative measures to reduce confusion and improve safety.
A graphic study was conducted with the aim to produce a small run of short-term preventative warning labels to be implemented on the machines causing safety issues.
