#introdesign 146

[nursehikedesign-blog]

Heavy Tele.... Cardiac monitoring is necessary for patient care and safety, however the telemetry boxes are not conducive to the patient experience.�� The telemetry boxes are heavy and burdensome to many patients.  While they do fit into the pocket of the johnny, their weight and wires are very cumbersome to patients.  My “patient” modeled the telemetry we have on my unit, and we did embellish the telemetry burden with the photograph, but most patients have no under clothes and sometimes the johnnies droop.  The idea is very undignified, and a shame that in this age of technology with Ipods and cell phones in everyone’s back pocket that we can’t do better for our patients.

Recently an elderly woman on my unit who came out to the nurses station dressed similar to this, but holding her telemetry.  She was taking her stand, she was not going to wear “this thing” any longer!  We explain the necessity of the monitoring, but ultimately the patient has the right to refuse.  I feel that we fail our patient when this happens. 

Design modifications:

Weight: a lightweight box the size of a small cell phone with wires connecting to electrodes would be a better design.  If we could somehow go wireless - maybe electrodes only?  Different colors could differentiate the position of the electrodes, but the small size might cause them to be easily misplaced.

Not battery operated: the current telemetry boxes use 3 AA batteries every 24 hours of monitoring.  A new system with a docking station for recharging would be better for the environment and solve some of the weight issue. 

The article, “Design Thinking as a Way to Improve Patient Experience” by Wykes(2016) addresses the need for healthcare workers and design specialists to put themselves in the patient’s shoes to fully understand the patient experience.  If the hospital personnel were to take the walk of shame down the hall in only a johnny weighed down by telemetry, they may understand the need for a better telemetry design.

[nursehikedesign-blog]

Describe how would you communicate what is especially important about the design to this audience?  Luer lock prevents the tubing from being dislodged from iv catheter and possibly putting patient at risk for bleeding.  

2.      Tell us how would you describe its design in 50 words or less to someone who has never seen it before?  Intravenous tubing is used in the healthcare setting to administer fluids, medications, nutrition and blood products into the patient via intravenous catheter.  It is needed for patients who are acutely ill and unable to get adequate replenishment orally.  There isn’t any medical technology that surpasses IV drug/fluid administration via catheter and the need for subsequent tubing.  The tubing is usually marked with a date, and depending on type – continuous or intermittent use.  The IV tubing is crucial to the life-saving fluids/medications infused into patients.

What would be three to five physical objects or samples that would be     especially effective at the presentation for the audience to touch     and hold? Explain why in each case.    

IV tubing with luer lock system – audience can visualize and touch the iv tubing.

IV fluid bag – audience could see how tubing connects

IV push 10mL syringe – heavily utilized in acute care, cleanses catheters and tubing, if needed.

IV catheter – the avenue into the body by which the tubing is connected.

How     would you use these in the kind of situations described in either DiNardo     2015 or Eagle 2016? Nurses are utilized in the design process and have a unique perspective on patient care as stated in the Eagle (2016) article. Initially thinking about design and what works, IV tubing works and the system of how we get fluids and blood into patients is effective.  Really what other options would patients have but to get intravenous medications and fluids through a catheter and into their blood stream?  Eagle (2016) also spoke of hospitals which used the Lean principle to better manage resources and bringing critical personnel to the “front-lines” to help with solutions to problems.  Nurses in acute and critical care use iv tubing and bags constantly, and could attest to its necessity as well as the waste and patient dissatisfaction involved in using such systems.    

[nursehikedesign-blog]

RN portfolio 3: elements

Color/Line

I’ve been stalking this wind chime design for almost two years.   The gift shop located in the hospital where I work had other versions of this chime: clear glass circles with light green circles inside and a medal designed tree hanger.  Another color version had bolder colors, like purple, red and blue.  They were nice, but not enough for me to spend the $50 price tag.  Recently they came out with these muted earthy colors which I find lovely, and when I researched the company, I found out the glass is recycled.  The chime makes a tinkling sound which I also really enjoy.

Time/Experience

This is a picture of Savoy Bookshop in downtown Westerly, RI.  It is a local bookshop that opened in 2016 and the atmosphere in this bookshop is wonderful, kind of a classic/vintage design.  The store has multiple design elements from the tiled ceiling, brick walls, wood beams and hanging lights which add to the ambiance.  There is a staircase that leads to the downstairs that has metal railings.  Sounds and smells....the store plays alternative rock music and smells of coffee (there’s a coffee shop too!).  There are café style table and chairs as well as some leather chairs for reading.  The shop invites you to stay and browse and read.

Sticking with the bookshop…..

The light fixture in the upper left of the picture is an interesting design with glass and metal that hangs over the staircase at the bookshop. It adds to the nostalgic feeling this bookshop puts off.  The design of the light and elements in the store remind me of a city apartment.  My personal experience of living in a rural area makes going to the bookshop even more special because it is a different feeling from home.  The light fixture is an interesting design, makes me think of smart inventions and innovations of years past.  All the books in the bookshop also add to the “smartness” and inspires to obtain knowledge and do grand things.