TEAM PROJECT : Emre Kayganaci, Shruti Agerwala, Suzanna James, Justin Tsang, Célia Marchessaux
The Problem
A medical journey can be a long walk through the darkness, it can be hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even after a treatment, trauma can keep following us. Post treatment depression can keep the darkness with us even when we have recovered and are transitioning back into normal life. This is the story for many. Depression following critical illness is associated with an increased mortality risk in the first 2 years following intensive care. In the UK it is estimated that more than 40% of ex patients experience ongoing trauma.
The Solution
Inaya is a brand that aims to incorporate celebration as a key part of the care process. Our design solution is a physical journal that allows patients to introduce celebration into their own healthcare journeys. Inaya is a care service that acts as a platform for patients going through healthcare, offering a physical toolkit to incorporate celebration into their journey, facilitating human behaviour change. The physical journal we designed is specific to cancer treatment, however we are aiming to expand this into other treatments with tests we are aiming to run with patients and healthcare workers.
The Process
Focusing on the theme of care, we discovered that the act of caring happens typically in 4 stages: Identify, Offer, Accept and Celebrate. But often, Celebration is missing. We have focused on celebration, because we’ve actually seen the power of it. Three of us have mothers who have gone through serious health complications. Celebration doesn’t have to be big and shouty, it can be as simple as having a cup of coffee and a cookie. We asked ourselves how could we integrate celebration into a patient’s healthcare journey?
The Impact
Celebration has the potential for a huge global impact. We believe reframing experiences through celebration tools like gratitude, a sense of accomplishment and reducing stress and anxiety will be powerful. We are confident that this will have a massive global impact, as many patients develop mental health problems after their treatment. We believe in the magic of a less medical, more human approach. We aim to create a substantial impact on two levels, personal and systematic. On a personal level, we helps to provide a holistic recovery. On a system level, our approach will help save money spent on mental health services.
