The experience of parents and families with a child in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) can never be easy, but it can be improved using good, informed design. With experience and specialities in interior architecture, visual communication design, videography, and design-led innovation, the QUT HEAL team are working with staff and parents (past and current) to co-design a healing environment for families and staff in the PICU at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Who was involved?
Key staff from the PICU Liberation initiative at the Brisbane Children’s Hospital including Jane Harnischfeger, Associate Professor Debbie Long, Ali Ferguson and Dr Michaela Waak have become an integral support to the HEAL Project Team. Led by Dr Natalie Wright, the QUT Design Lab team includes Dr Anastasia Tyurina, Dr Judy Matthews, two HEAL HDR student interns – Sarah Johnstone and Leighann Ness Wilson – plus videographer Guy Lobwein and Professor Evonne Miller (co-Director, HEAL).
What was the process?
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Three engagement and story telling strategies were designed to gather data from the staff and families of PICU. These were interactive static displays, a parent pack and a series of pop-up activities in the form of a Market Place. In addition to these engagement methods, the PICU team spent time interviewing families and staff over the course of the project.
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What were the outcomes?
Following the research component of the project, Dr Anastasia Tyurina and Leighann Ness Wilson continued to work on the project, summarising the findings and developing design proposals to present back to PICU in early September, some 8 months since the projects inception. With the support of the Liberation team, Anastasia and Leighann were guided to include explicit links to the Strategic Vision of the Hospital, including the vision and purpose of the QCH, 2020-2024 and the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, specifically Partnering with Consumers and Comprehensive Care.
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What were the design proposals?
Spaces for Retreat
In the first instance we developed solutions that responded to the need for quiet spaces for the families of PICU to retreat, take a phone call, meet with clinical staff or social workers, and find reprieve. Key words of talk, retreat, grieve, and meet were presented alongside visual concepts that had a purposefully different feel from the patient rooms in terms of lighting, ceiling treatments, and furnishings.
“We train families to grieve like ninjas.” – PICU Staff
Family Comfort
The second focus was the main talking point of the entire project; the parent toilet. Providing comfort and responding to the ideals of family-centred care were key in the spatial concepts proposed. Concepts were presented using simple but elegant finishes and panelled storage alongside the key words of renew, wash, cleanse and near.
“There’s actually no toilets inside this area. You’ve actually got to go outside the door and then you’ve got to buzz the nurse to let you back in…” – PICU Parent
Centralised Family Connection
The third focus proposed a more central, visible location for the parent kitchen and lounge, creating opportunities for incidental social connection, community, and support across PICU families. In addition to the larger kitchenette and lounge space we proposed a sibling play space, a range of seating options, and display space for PICU to generate a deeper sense of community and connection to the families. There were three layout options presented for these centralised spaces alongside key words of family, re-fuel, support, and welcome.
“Talking to other parents is good. They know what you’re going through, you know what they’re going through, so you can relate to them.’’ – PICU Parent
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PICU Response and Another Project…
The initial presentation was so well received that Dr Tyurina and Leighann Ness Wilson presented a further two times to other stakeholders at the hospital. A second WIL project, consisting of Interior and Interactive Design students to create a virtual reality model of the space and concept boards for preliminary designs created for PICU. In mid-November 2022, Anastasia and Leighann returned to PICU with another iteration of the Marketplace with a display of the concept boards and screens set up to enable staff and family members to experience a 3D visualisation of the central corridor space using a virtual reality headset. Over the course of the day, over a dozen clinicians and two family members participated in the VR experience, providing feedback to the team.
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