Experience The Impact
While I have learned a little bit about the medical process of patients being diagnosed for and receiving some kind of medical prosthesis or correctional device, my understanding was very limited until I had the opportunity of becoming part of the process.
In order to really understand something, one must take a significant role in the immediate process of whatever it is that needs more understanding. And while it was the clinical setting, (where all the fitting and applying of medical devices takes place) I was lacking understanding, I decided to spend much of my time during my junior and senior years as an undergrad at the U of U, working in the main hospital’s operating rooms in order to see just how it all comes together.
My experience working in this field has been more than eye opening. My expectations for the whole surgical process changed drastically, and I now have a much better perspective of the current use of modern medical devices and processes.
The surgical setting I worked in provides services in all specialties of surgery, and so my range of experience was broad, from hearts to hearing aids, but for the purpose of focusing on my “big question,” for the Innovation Scholar Program I will introduce just one of the biggest opportunities that I observed in the specialty of orthopaedics, specifically dealing with scoliosis.
With all the recreation Utah has to offer, the University Hospital provides a state of the art orthopaedic service to match. While scoliosis is not part of the trauma corrections of orthopaetics, it still accounts for most of the idiopathic spine deformities and is more common in girls than boys. Scoliosis is usually diagnosed and treated in adolescent stages of life and is currently treated using a large and cumbersome brace that hugs the entire body with straps and two large plastic shells.
Research is showing improvements in corrections of the spine using these big braces, but one aspect of the therapy that has gone without attention is how the patient “feels” about wearing the device. I briefly described above the demographics of the patient as being mostly teenage girls specifically because of how the news is taken that they will need to live out their teenage years wearing this very embarrassing brace.
A pediatric spine surgeon Dr. Riley explained to me the tear filled discussions he has had when describing these braces to his patients. Their athletics will be affected, their social lives will be rough, and they will have very limited outfits to accommodate these braces, all at a season of life when these things are at the top of their priority lists. To say the least, this news is devastating.
Design opportunities exist in many forms here. At first I wanted to design a more invisible device, one that is so sleek and small that you cannot see it through many clothing options, and made of clear or skin tone matching colors. But then I thought this is a social thing, what if there was social websites where people in the same situation could commune and relate with one another? Or what if there were some major strategic marketing plans put into place that use key public influencers, or celebrities to glamourize the use of these braces? Many things thought unpopular have been made mainstream just from the promotions of a few key people. Or how could these devices have technology integrated into them in a way that detects rhythmic vital signs of the body with sensors and indicators, and communicates that to the patient’s smart phone? While these ideas are all over the map, and might be unreasonable, there are many options for how to improve the patient experience for wearing a scoliosis correctional brace. And by keeping the ideas coming that are both quick and cheap to test, a solution could be found that will influence better patient compliance with correcting the scoliosis.
My time spent in the OR has taught me the process of using medical devices for correcting injury and disease, but it also taught me how to go about looking for better answers, the process of discovering answers that will improve the use of medical devices both by the doctors and their patients.
And from the many surgeons I have had the opportunity of getting to know, I have learned that they are impressively knowledgeable about their craft and service, but lack the time, and much of the resources to really design improvements and considerations for how medical devices could conform to the physical and social needs of the patient. This is where the designer comes along to facilitate that movement and be the catalyst for progress, and improvements can be made in any area where there is a need.
In order to really understand something, one must take a significant role in the immediate process of whatever it is that needs more understanding. And while it was the clinical setting, (where all the fitting and applying of medical devices takes place) I was lacking understanding, I decided to spend much of my time during my junior and senior years as an undergrad at the U of U, working in the main hospital’s operating rooms in order to see just how it all comes together.
My experience working in this field has been more than eye opening. My expectations for the whole surgical process changed drastically, and I now have a much better perspective of the current use of modern medical devices and processes.
The surgical setting I worked in provides services in all specialties of surgery, and so my range of experience was broad, from hearts to hearing aids, but for the purpose of focusing on my “big question,” for the Innovation Scholar Program I will introduce just one of the biggest opportunities that I observed in the specialty of orthopaedics, specifically dealing with scoliosis.
With all the recreation Utah has to offer, the University Hospital provides a state of the art orthopaedic service to match. While scoliosis is not part of the trauma corrections of orthopaetics, it still accounts for most of the idiopathic spine deformities and is more common in girls than boys. Scoliosis is usually diagnosed and treated in adolescent stages of life and is currently treated using a large and cumbersome brace that hugs the entire body with straps and two large plastic shells.
Research is showing improvements in corrections of the spine using these big braces, but one aspect of the therapy that has gone without attention is how the patient “feels” about wearing the device. I briefly described above the demographics of the patient as being mostly teenage girls specifically because of how the news is taken that they will need to live out their teenage years wearing this very embarrassing brace.
A pediatric spine surgeon Dr. Riley explained to me the tear filled discussions he has had when describing these braces to his patients. Their athletics will be affected, their social lives will be rough, and they will have very limited outfits to accommodate these braces, all at a season of life when these things are at the top of their priority lists. To say the least, this news is devastating.
Design opportunities exist in many forms here. At first I wanted to design a more invisible device, one that is so sleek and small that you cannot see it through many clothing options, and made of clear or skin tone matching colors. But then I thought this is a social thing, what if there was social websites where people in the same situation could commune and relate with one another? Or what if there were some major strategic marketing plans put into place that use key public influencers, or celebrities to glamourize the use of these braces? Many things thought unpopular have been made mainstream just from the promotions of a few key people. Or how could these devices have technology integrated into them in a way that detects rhythmic vital signs of the body with sensors and indicators, and communicates that to the patient’s smart phone? While these ideas are all over the map, and might be unreasonable, there are many options for how to improve the patient experience for wearing a scoliosis correctional brace. And by keeping the ideas coming that are both quick and cheap to test, a solution could be found that will influence better patient compliance with correcting the scoliosis.
My time spent in the OR has taught me the process of using medical devices for correcting injury and disease, but it also taught me how to go about looking for better answers, the process of discovering answers that will improve the use of medical devices both by the doctors and their patients.
And from the many surgeons I have had the opportunity of getting to know, I have learned that they are impressively knowledgeable about their craft and service, but lack the time, and much of the resources to really design improvements and considerations for how medical devices could conform to the physical and social needs of the patient. This is where the designer comes along to facilitate that movement and be the catalyst for progress, and improvements can be made in any area where there is a need.