RESEARCHER | DESIGNER | ENGINEER
I thrive being comfortable with the uncomfortable. I look to uncover the logic buried within the mess.
Developing CAR T-cell therapy, out-patient educational materials for Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
CLIENT Northwestern Memorial Hospital
PROJECT Graduate Human-Centered Independent Study Design Course at Northwestern University
INDUSTRY Healthcare
ROLE Identified user group and needs, led and synthesized user interviews
CHALLENGE.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital's CAR T-cell therapy program is in the process of transitioning the therapy program from in-patient to out-patient. As a result of this, the caretaker has increased responsibility and therefore needs more in-depth education on their new role.
OUTCOME.
My team developed three new educational materials for caregivers as well as an updated workflow for the out-patient therapy for use by the CAR T program's team.
PROCESS.
Talking to Caregivers
Through conversations with caregivers, we learned that caregivers normally have limited experience with actually providing medical care, a skill that has great emphasis in the outpatient setting. If treatment is given in an outpatient setting, these caregivers have to be with the patient for 24 hours a day for a minimum of 2 weeks post-infusion and continuously be monitoring their patient for any adverse experiences.
"I was daunted by [outpatient], how would [the hospital] provide what I need?" - Judi Y
Stimuli used in research
This interactive timeline as well as sketches were used to co-create with current nurse educators and social workers
Storyboarding a prototype
This idea was presented for feedback through a storyboard our team created.
Final Deliverables and Presentation
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A journal to aid the caretaker in monitoring their patient for adverse reactions following the transfusion.
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A checklist that can be used to assess and track the education process of both the caregivers and the patients.
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A set of videos that the caretakers can use to learn and review important information.
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An updated operation workflow to illustrate where the different educational sessions and touchpoints would occur within the larger picture.