The conversation around wellness as a crucial complement to medical cancer treatment is ever-growing. Yet, in Queensland, there is currently no public cancer centre specifically designed to holistically treat all aspects of the self – mind, body, and spirit. The Cancer Wellness Initiative (CWI) was established by Princess Alexandra Hospital’s (PAH) Cancer Services and funded by the PA research foundation. Given the over-abundance of cancer information online, conflicting advice and potential to lead people down online rabbit holes, the team wanted to create an authoritative, evidence-based, virtual home for PA patients seeking wellness information, programs, and services.
Who was involved?
The Cancer Wellness Initiative team at the Princess Alexandra Hospital – primarily Jodie Nixon, Elizabeth Pinkham and Emma McKinnell –were the clinical experts leading this project. Jessica Cheers (User Experience Designer and HDR intern at HEAL) worked closely with them under the guidance of Evonne Miller (HEAL Co-Director).
What was the process?
The collaboration between HEAL and the CWI involved four phases: Mapping, Visualising, Co-designing and Evaluating. In addition to building on extensive initial work by the PA team, the project team ran a Participatory Design workshop with five patients who were at various stages of their cancer treatment and recovery.
What were the outcomes?
Participants described how the mindset shift from medical treatment to wellness – the desire to regain feelings of control and empowerment – can occur at any stage, with several participants wishing they had begun this process sooner. The recommendations from the report directly informed the design of the CWI website, representing a new direction for the project that the team felt aligned perfectly with their vision. The collaboration between HEAL and the CWI resulted in an ongoing partnership between HEAL Intern Jessica Cheers and the team at the PAH, working to realise this vision.
