Emergency Room
with David Sjunnesson, Filippo Cuttica, Gizem Boyaciuoglu, Laura Boffi, Urlik Hogrebe.
We developed a national online service designed to alleviate and disperse patient pressure on the regional ERs. By providing a simple overview of the state of each ER in the region, we enable walk-in patients to make smart decisions from home as to where they will be treated fastest and where they will burden the system the least, freeing up resources for the ones who need it the most.
At the same time, we expanded this online service into the ER«s themselves Ð providing real-time visual information in the waiting room as to the state of the ER; how many patients are being treated and what is their status: is it life or death? or is it simply a fractured ankle? Allowing waiting patients increased transparency as to why they are waiting would generate respect and understanding for the extremely important work of the staff and cut down on frustration for both staff and patients alike.
To gain an initial understanding of the dynamics of the ER, we employed several different approaches. We shadowed different nurses at work, observing their routines and day-to-day tasks. We spent hours in the waiting room emulating patients and we interviewed a number of different doctors, nurses and patients.