2020. Reece A. Golz, David R. Flum, Sabrina E. Sanchez, Xiao Hang Liu, Courtney Donovan, F. Thurston Drake. “Incidence of Acute Appendicitis and Perforated Appendicitis in Washington State: A Spatial Analysis” Annals of Surgery vol. 155, no. 4: 330-338.
UX Application: This research aimed to investigate the geographic distribution of acute appendicitis (AA) and perforated appendicitis (PA) at the census tract level, challenging the notion that AA occurs randomly and is solely linked to age and sex. The study revealed that socioeconomic status, coupled with geographic factors, influences the incidence of AA and PA. Exploring the drivers behind high AA and PA rates in lower-income patients, including behavioral and socioeconomic factors, is crucial. Recognizing these influences opens opportunities for personalized interventions and innovative healthcare strategies, incorporating principles from service design and UX design to enhance the delivery of healthcare services.
2019. Donovan, C. and S. de Leeuw. “Geography as Engaged Medical-Health Humanities.” In A. Bleakely (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Medical Humanities. London: Routledge, 97-104.
UX Application: This book chapter critically examines Eileen Pollack’s impactful short story, “Milk,” delving into its exploration of micro-aggressions within healthcare settings and the resulting disparities in patient care, potentially leading to adverse outcomes. Both the narrative of “Milk” and the subsequent analysis offer valuable insights for UX design.
The short story serves as a compelling case study in service design, illustrating the cumulative impact of micro-aggressions directed at a single patient by various healthcare staff and clinicians over several days in a hospital setting. “Milk” effectively highlights how biases, both overt and subtle, influence interactions and contribute to detrimental consequences for the individuals involved.
This narrative provides a significant focal point for designers, prompting a crucial discussion on how design principles can be employed to re-envision products, services, and systems that genuinely cater to the diverse needs of all users and patients. It challenges designers to consider how their work can contribute to creating inclusive and equitable experiences within healthcare and beyond.
2018. de Leeuw, S., Donovan, C., Shafenacker, N. (eds.) “Geographies of Medical and Health Humanities: A Cross-Disciplinary Conversation”. GeoHumanities.
UX Application: This special journal issue brings together academics, clinicians, and artists who focus on geography in their analyses and explorations of healthcare, health, and medicine. The diverse contributions highlight geography as a crucial and multifaceted element in understanding healthcare and medicine. The contributors emphasize the significance of different geographic settings and contexts in shaping our comprehension and experiences of health. It is imperative for UX and service designers to acknowledge the multifaceted ways in which geography influences patient health. Even seemingly ordinary locations within a health facility visit can reveal significant stories about patient experiences. Designers must broaden their perspective beyond traditional health settings, exploring opportunities to address patient needs and devise innovative solutions that leave a lasting impact.
2017. Donovan, C. “Accelerating Intimacy with Digital Health?” in Moss, P. and C. Donovan (eds). Writing Intimacy into Feminist Geography. London: Routledge, 131-139.
UX Application: In the rapidly evolving intersection of health and technology, companies are deploying diverse strategies to foster compassion and empathy. Digital health, as a prime example, has embraced the language of humanistic medicine, emphasizing these qualities in healthcare. This chapter delves into how digital health products, services, and promotional materials often incorporate terms such as engagement, listening, empathy, experience, and intimacy. Concurrently, companies employ terms like “accelerating” to create the perception that technology can hasten emotional connections between patients and clinicians. I caution that there are potential pitfalls of relying solely on language when introducing new products and services. As the digital health sector continues to grow, user-centered design, rooted in user advocacy and empathy, becomes even more important. Patients seek more than expedited relationships with clinicians; they aspire to establish and nurture meaningful connections, acknowledgment and understanding. Designers face the challenge of seamlessly integrating technology to enhance these relationships. Successful integration not only leads to enhanced patient retention but also increases the likelihood of patient referrals. Chatbots and applications mimicking humanization in medicine may, in fact, undermine the desired outcomes.
2019. Donovan, C. and E. Ustundag. “Graphic Narratives, Trauma, and Social Justice.” Studies in Social Justice vol. 11, no.2: 221-237.
2014. Donovan, C. “Representations of Health, Embodiment, and Experience in Graphic Memoir” Configurations vol.22: 237-253.
2014. Donovan, C. “Graphic Pathogeographies.” Journal of Medical Humanities vol. 35, issue 3: 273-299.
UX Application: The three articles listed above explore the role of geography in patients’ healthcare experiences through graphic memoirs—stories presented in comic format. Each memoir addresses diverse health concerns, from sexual trauma to bipolar disorder, epilepsy, cancer, and family coping mechanisms. Graphic memoirs offer rich qualitative data, providing valuable insights for UX and service designers to understand healthcare from the patient’s viewpoint. They serve as effective tools for training designers, guiding observation and interview planning. Additionally, comics offer an alternative yet powerful method for capturing patient insights, acknowledging the importance of diverse research avenues in UX studies.
2014. Kain, N., Donovan, C., and Yee-Melichar, D., “Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities.” Melichar-Yee, D., et al (eds.) in Long-Term Care Administration and Management: Effective Practices in Elder Care. Springer Publishing: New York, NY, 53-68.
UX Application: This book chapter delves into the significance of aging in place for older adults, with a specific focus on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs). NORCs are characterized by a natural emergence of communities with a large population of older adults. A growing number of seniors are articulating a preference for remaining in their homes rather than transitioning to nursing homes or comparable facilities. With the increasing size of these communities, there arises a distinct necessity to ensure the seamless integration of essential services, including healthcare. This presents an opportune area for healthcare organizations and other stakeholders to play a vital role.
2009. Donovan, C. and Duncan, R.I. “Situating Politics in Medical and Health Geography” in Moon, G, McLafferty, S., and Brown, T (eds.) A Companion to Health and Medical Geography. Blackwell: Oxford, United Kingdom, 173-187.
Overview: This chapter explores the intersections of two geography sub-fields focused on health and medicine. Despite one being qualitative and the other quantitative, their research commonly revolves around the struggles for healthcare access and resources. The uneven distribution of health services leads to underserved individuals and communities facing a significant disease burden.
UX Application: The chapter delves into health systems, examining how policies, decisions, and actions of various stakeholders yield outcomes. Geography serves as a lens to understand these outcomes in terms of affected places, spatial patterns, and relationships between entities at different scales. Both sub-fields provide distinct perspectives on challenges and solutions in service design.