Are Designers the new healers in healthcare?
An original story by Daniela Marques
This story intends to expose how designers for health and well-being can aid in the prevention of burnout risk factors in healthcare professionals. The cast of this story includes a family that has the tradition of getting together at dinner time to see the news. The broadcasted information reflects on the experience of a designer for health, and her work. In the end the family children express the desires of becoming designers when they grow up.
Meet the charismatic cast
Leonor
Leonor Ferreira, a 35-year-old with an air of youthful energy, has become a fixture at the health and wellness channel. Her long, brown hair frames her sharp, curious eyes. Years of interviewing have honed her ability to disarm guests with a warm smile, yet her sharp intellect and meticulous mind ensure she gets the most out of every conversation.
Sofia
Sofia, a fresh-faced designer with barely a quarter-century under her belt, exudes a quiet confidence that belies her age. Her long, dark hair, frames warm blue eyes that sparkle with a touch of idealism. Despite her youth, Sofia has a growing reputation in the design world, particularly for her focus on human-centered solutions in the healthcare sector. Her passion for the field is evident, and she approaches every project with a thoughtful mind and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
Olivia
Olivia, a 15-year-old dreamer with an artist's heart, navigates the world with a quiet intensity. Shy by nature, her clothing choices, reflect a desire to blend seamlessly into the background, letting her art do the talking. Despite her reserved nature, Olivia possesses a vibrant inner world, brimming with ideas and aspirations. One of her biggest dreams is to become a designer, a path inspired by the stories of innovative thinkers like Sofia, the young designer making waves in the healthcare industry. Perhaps, somewhere deep within her, Olivia sees design not just as a creative outlet, but as a way to make a positive impact on the world, just like her Grandpa Joe, the retired doctor she deeply admires.
Grandpa Joe
Despite his nearing 80th birthday, Grandpa Joe's spirit remains spry. His once-dark hair has surrendered to the white. Twinkling blue eyes peer out from behind a pair of well-worn glasses perched on his nose. Though officially retired, Joe can't resist lending a hand at the nearby healthcare center. His crisp trousers, held up by the familiar comfort of suspenders, are a testament to a bygone era, yet his dedication to patient care remains timeless. His years of experience as a doctor have instilled in him a deep understanding of the healthcare system's challenges, making him a valuable source of wisdom for the younger generation.
Mom
Teresa, a painter mom of three with an artist's soul at 48, embodies a youthful spirit that reflects in her bright green eyes. She might have traded the stethoscope for a paintbrush, but her empathy shines through in her art. Possesses a deep understanding of the human condition, a quality that not only fuels her artistic expression but also fosters a strong bond with her family.
Father
Pedro is turning 50 years, being a nurse for more than half of his life. Flecks of gray have begun to pepper his salt-and-pepper hair, adding a touch of distinguished charm. His kind eyes, often crinkled at the corners from a friendly smile, have witnessed countless patients navigate the healthcare system. Married to the vibrant Teresa and father of 3 curious children, Pedro finds a perfect balance in their home life. While Teresa's artistic spirit brings color and energy, Pedro grounds their world with his calm demeanor and unwavering dedication to his patients.
Angela
Boundless energy courses through Angela, Olivia's eight-year-old sister. Her world explodes with color, from the bright barrettes in her hair to the mismatched socks peeking out from her sneakers.
&
Little Thomas
Three-year-old Thomas, Olivia and Angela's little brother, is a whirlwind of curiosity. His chubby fingers are constantly on the move, exploring the world one enthusiastic grab at a time.
Disclaimers
All the images presented in this story we generated in the Microsoft Designer platform, and then modified by the author using Photoshop. The background sounds were downloaded in the mixkit website with a free licence use. The characters voices are licenced under the license CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 , since they were created by the author of this story.
It's 20 o'clock and the dinner is being set at the table.
At Olivia's house dinner time is also the time to be informed on what is happening in the region. The whole family comes together to share a meal and discuss the important news being broadcasted.
The channel reporter Leonor Ferreira is introducing the firts segment with the guest Sofia, a Designer for Health and Well-being.
"We are here today in front of Saint James Hospital to talk with Sofia, a Design for Health and Well-being that is working closely with healthcare professionals to aid in the prevention of burnout."
"Hello Sofia. Is great to meet you! So can you explain us a little better what you do? What is your profession?"
"Hello Leonor and thank you for your invite! So to be short I'm a Designer for Health and Well-being."
"A Designer for Health and Well-being? And for those at home, can you tell us what does this kind of professional do?"
"So Leonor this is an emergent area and not a lot of people know about it. And may I add it is dificult to explain even for a designer. Let's just say that a designer is a professional that solves problems, and when you are a designer for health and well-being you tend to focus on the healthcare area. As we know, there are a lot of issues in healthcare services and we employ design methodologies to try to reach a solution."
"Yes, healthcare services are experiences a lot of issues at the moment and there is a rising in healthcare workers experiencing burnout mentioned by a lot of reports around the world."
"Here is a report from 2024 done by Medscape, showing the incidence of burnout in US physicians. But there are also other national reports, for example from LABPATS showing that same incidence in those workers in Portugal. There is also the mention of the possible risk factors that lead to this ocupational syndrome. And that is where Sofia an her team are focusing at the moment.
Why this interest, Sofia?"
"So Leonor as you said, Burnout is an occupational syndrome that can affect any worker around the world, so it is a complex problem.
Our team is focused on a specific group of people, the healthcare professionals and we are trying to understand the risk factors they identify in their daily work-life.
We use design methodologies and methods to aid in this connection with those professionals, to identify the risk factors, and to try to together understand what strategies might work and even design tools to prevent those same factors."
"It sounds like you have a big problem to solve."
"Well, that's the thing... we don't expect to solve it, or to treat Burnout, we want to make our contribution torwards it's prevention.
We know that treating Burnout is almost impossible, because there are a lot of professional and personal factors involved, and even if it is possible it's something to be done by the capable professionals of psychology, psychatry or doctors."
"But those professionals can also suffer from this syndrome right?"
"Yes, and that is why we chose the healthcare professionals. They take care of the comunity and population, but someimes they forget to care for themselves.
We are here to help."
"Thank you so much for this conversation Sofia. It was wonderful no learn more about the burnout syndrome and how design can indeed help. And for you at home I leave one question:
Would you say designers are the new healers in healthcare?"
This question raises a discussion about design in the family home.
"Wow being a designer must be so cool!"
" Well, it is a creative profession, and there is a lot of theorethical information you need to know too.
But overal... it is a good profession.
I have some friends working in the area, but I don't think they are connected to the healthcare field."
"I've heard of this study around burnout, but nobody explained why designers where involved.
I thought it was just to help with decoration of the space... actually I never thought about the opportunity of... them... designing strategies"
"In my time, I don't think designers thought about helping the healthcare professionals.
Not even the healthcare professionals thought about helping themselves!"
"But dad, is it true that you don't think about your health?"
"Yes, I believe she was right.
We are so focused on taking care of every patient in the hospital that sometimes we forget our own health and well-being."
"Oh, and these kinds of syndromes are somewhat recent.
In the old days we never had burnout, but we also had more time for ourselves and our families."
"Nowadays, the healthcare services are floded with people not knowing where to go to solve just a simple cough, or fever.
They go straight to the emergency rooms, and then wait for hours to be treated.
So the doctors and nurses in the service have to stay for longer periods of time and sometimes don't even get paid well to do it."
"I believe those are the risk factors they mentioned in the news.
And I'm relieved that someone thinks about those working conditions, and tries to make a change.
Maybe they are indeed new healers for healthcare."
"I want to be a new healer!"
"I want it too!"
"Me too! But what means be a new healer?"
"It means I get to take care of those that take care of us, like grandpa Joe."
"Yes, and we can be creative like mom!"
"Can we also help dad?"
"Yes, designers for health and wellbeing, can take care of everyone in a different way.
They involve the people and use their experiences to make the world a better place. Isn't it right grandpa?"
"I believe it is.
But for more information, ask a designer directly, they for sure know the answer!"
In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story.
Jeff Bezos