The role of technology in Health Care

On the 29th of March, a seminar entitled “The role of technology in Health Care” was given by classmates Lette and Collette. It had some overlaps with Cristiano's talk that took place the previous week. It was a very interesting talk and something that I related to from personal experiences. Although they focused greatly on health care and medical design, there was some similarities between my dissertation and some of the topics raised in the presentation and in the literature.

Collette and Lette addressed the idea that giving access to ones healthcare information can help motivate the patient. As I thought about my own dissertation, incorporating a function that could would allow the user to get information about how healthy they are, progress report on what they have achieved and need to achieve could be useful in focusing and encouraging the users to continue using the device. But what must also be taken into consideration is if the user isn’t progressing at a normal or desired level, that their start weight and their current weight is only marginally different. In this case a user may become discouraged and deflated if they could view a progress report, showing start and current weight. How do I find the balance? I think I need to research more into the area of motivation and reward for my dissertation as I think understanding what motivates people it is imperative to the success of the device

An important point raised was the difference between the goals of the patients and the goals of the healthcare professional (which I addressed in my seminar on 1st of March). The goals are different because the motivations underlying the action are different. Motivations are key sustaining the use of the device. The only way that I will understand the goals and motivations of the potential users is by going out into the field, spending time with the potential users, observing. Even at this early stage in the project, Ive fallen into the mistake of have a predetermined idea of what the product should do, therefore I have decided what the goals of the users are without speaking to them. It is a trap that I have fallen into in the past and must ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Another important factor outlined in the seminar is that need to consider, in all design sectors, that we are entering into a aging population society, where there is a shift in countries population towards older ages. This means that a greater understanding of older people needs to sought and we must integrate this age group into design in a greater way than ever before. For my project, I must factor in for users with reduced dexterity, visual impairment and social and emotional factors of using such a device.

After this seminar I have become more focused on what I need to do next in my dissertation. So lets get reading!