To better understand our problem space, we conducted different research and got a lot of valuable insights to guide our future design decisions.
At the beginning of this semester, we went to the Allegheny General Hospital and shadowing 5 different nurses for 2 hours, which helps us to learn about the actual hospital context and interactions between nurses and patients.
We found that the interaction scenarios are very diverse and highly depends on the situation of the patient and the personality of the nurse. But the common thing is the nurses are all doing their job professionally and effectively but they lack the motivation to put extra effort to deliver the more empathetic care.
And we went to the STAR center to learn their current method for nurse training.We found they have very realistic simulations for professional skill training. So our project could be a good addition to the existing training but focus more on empathy and communication.
And then we interviewed more than 10 people who have experience as a patient. From those interviews, we got to know that as a patient, they are facing difficulties physically, mentally and emotionally. So the care from nurses would be very important and impactful for them.
Besides, we interviewed 4 nurses to learn about their opinions.
We realized that nurses are doing challenging work with multi-tasking, and the priority of their work is being professional and accurate. They mentioned the most frustrating part of their work is the charting works and the complexity of the hospital system. But when asked about how to do they like their job as a nurse, they said they feel rewarded when their care is appreciated and they are happy to be helpful in someone’s hardest time.
