Observation–> Identified Need—————–> Solution; Watching it happen in the real world.
One of the most memorable observations while shadowing in the GI clinic wasn’t something observed while Dr. Middleton was with a patient, or even something he said at all, but rather something that was said while walking from the patients room, through a tiny hallway, back to Dr. Middleton’s office. In this tiny hallway, there was a row of desks and computers, and other doctors and nurses were working or talking. While walking past these doctors, one spoke to Dr. Middleton and was talking about how she had to perform a lumbar puncture shortly and how she really hated doing so and that she always got very nervous performing the procedure because they had no guidance since they don’t typically have access to ultrasound in this particular clinic.
When we got back to Dr. Middleton’s office, I asked him more about the procedure and her concerns, and he told me how lumbar punctures involve essentially jamming a large needle into the back of a patient, and typically without any guidance as to where the needle should be placed. He mentioned that there are some ultrasound or fluorescence techniques to help guide the needle, but they usually just blindly stick the needle in the back. This is especially true with larger (particularly obese) patients, and it is both challenging and nerve-racking for doctors.
This particular observation made such an impression on me because it was so genuine and unprompted. The doctor who expressed her worries about the procedure had no idea who I was or why I was shadowing and this observation suggested a clear problem/need area that I wasn’t seeking out– I wasn’t fishing for the need and she wasn’t trying to tell me there was a problem, it was just so real.
This need area fascinated me (and still does!!), so you can imagine how excited I was when we had 2 UVA alum come in to speak to us about their device, Accuro, which is designed to guide the needle for epidurals. Although they designed the device with epidurals in mind, it is versatile enough to be used in other procedures such as lumbar punctures. It was amazing to see how they were able to integrate ultrasound with the 3D image of the spinal anatomy on screen so that doctors no longer have to perform these procedures “blind.” It was such an exciting experience for me to observe this need in such a genuine way in the clinic and later not only see how someone has designed a solution, but also get to talk to them about their design and how it could be used for broader applications. Super nerdy I know, but it was one of those situations where I was so intrigued by the whole design process, from observation –> need ———> solutions, and truly excited about the positive impact that design can have on the care of patients.
BME Design 