What is Patient Empowerment & Vulnerable Youth?
Shared decision making and patient-centred healthcare are central for increasing life quality of people suffering from cancer and chronic diseases. In collaboration with hospitals we use design to improve healthcare practices and the communication between health professionals, patients and their relatives. These are our projects involving Patient Empowerment:
What is Patient Empowerment & Vulnerable Youth?
Shared decision making and patient-centred healthcare are central for increasing life quality of people suffering from cancer and chronic diseases. In collaboration with hospitals we use design to improve healthcare practices and the communication between health professionals, patients and their relatives.
These are our projects involving Patient Empowerment:
PROMETHEUS
THE PATIENT EMPOWERMENT KIT – Designing a self-aid kit for cancer patients
The demographic changes, and the digitalized information society, present challenges across borders and across Europe. Therefore we will have to deal not only with a rising number of elderly patients and growing demands on the healthcare system, but also with an utterly new generation of patients. They will want to take an active part in their health management and in the choice and actual form of their therapy. One of the future challenges will be to create new tools that can inform and activate patients as well as enabling them to carry out various forms of self-management.
Our contribution to the 3 year EU-funded PROMETHEUS project are twofold:
On the basis of the involvement of cancer patients we have developed detailed patient profiles giving health professionals insight into patient’s individual notions of life quality during cancer treatment
We have develop a shared decision making tool that enables patients to better navigate through options of medical, complementary and alternative treatment.
“The kit should support patient’s individual needs and quality of life through pro-active help supplies.”
Researchers
Eva Knutz, Signe Mårbjerg Thomsen, Thomas Markussen Department of Design & Communication, University of Southern Denmark and Health Services Research Unit, Vejle Hospital
Partners
The Health Service Research Unit, Vejle Hospital, Aarhus University and Kiel University Hospital
Project time
August 2015 – August 2018
Funded by
InterReg 5a project, grant number 07-1.0-15.
Budget
2,199,693 EUR
HUM-SEED
The aim of the HUM SEED project is to conduct a pilot study of whether cancer patients, who make dietary changes and self-treatment has a chance of stabilising their illness. Moreover, the project will extend existing collaborative ties between researchers at the Department of Design & Communication and Lillebælt Hospital’s Health Services Research Unit and Urological Research Unit in order to strengthen cross-disciplinary research competences
Researchers
Thomas Markussen, Eva Knutz, Department of Design & Communication, University of Southern Denmark
Partners
Professor Jette Ammentorp Enheden for Sundhedstjeneste -forskning. Chief physician and professor Palle Sloth Urologisk department, Vejle Hospital
Project time
January 2015 – June 2019
Funded by[spacer height=”-25px”]
SDU’s Strategic Research Funding
Budget[spacer height=”-25px”]
3.737.00 Kr.
HERACLES
The task of the social design unit in the 3-year EU-funded HERACLES project is to develop and evaluate the patient empowerment kit. This kit is designed to increase cancer patients’ life quality by offering tools, coping tactics and advices that other patients have valued in the course of their treatment.
What is unique about it is that it’s content is informed by cancer patients, who have experienced the disease on their own body. By bringing together tools, tactics and advices from patients who have gone through medical, alternative or complementary treatment, the patient empowerment kit unites strategies and perspectives which remain largely uncoordinated in the Danish healthcare system.
Patient empowerment kit is organised into 4 compartments:
1. Tactics for coping with side-effects of medical treatment using fx acupuncture
2. Network strategies for improving family life through support from relatives and friends
3. Everyday tactics for coping with anxiety and stress
4. Alternative treatment strategies such as dietary changes and alkaline food
“Patient empowerment kit is designed for cancer patients to enable self-care coping with a life threatening disease and inspire hope for the future.”
Researchers
Eva Knutz, Flemming Thøisen, Thomas Markussen Department of Design & Communication, University of Southern Denmark
Partners
The Health Service Research Unit, Vejle Hospital and Kiel University Hospital
Project time
2018 – 2021
Funded by
EU-Interreg
Budget
1,020,417 EUR
PUBLICATIONS
Probing the Future of Participatory Healthcare through Speculative Design
Knutz, E., Markussen, T., & aus der Wieschen, M. V. (2020, July).In 6th European Design4Health conference (pp. 73-82). Sheffield Hallam University
Politics of participation in design research: Learning from participatory art
Knutz, E., & Markussen, T. (2020). Design Issues, 36(1), 59-76
Navigating care in social design: A provisional model
Knutz, E., Markussen, T., & Lenskjold, T. U. (2019, June). In proceedings of NORDES, Nordic Design Research Society Conference. Aalto University, Finland
Materiality in probes: three perspectives for co-exploring patient democracy
Knutz, E., Markussen, T., & Thomsen, S. M. (2019). CoDesign, 15(2), 142-162
Inquiring into Politics of Patient Democracy through Probing
Knutz, E., Markussen, T., & Birkelund, R. (2017). In proceedings of NORDES 2017, Nordic Design Research Society Conference, Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Norway
Broadening the perspective on communication in pediatric care through play
Knutz, E., Ammentorp, J., & Kofoed, P. E. (2015). Health Communication, 30(10), 1032-1045
Designing for Democracy
Knutz, E. Markussen, T. Mårbjerg Thomsen, S., Ammentorp J. (2014). In proceedings of Design Research Society Biennial International Conference, Umeå Institute of Design, Sweden