We were able

to think about
our appina
holistic manner,
embedded in
the larger
system of use.

contribution is benefiting their colleagues.

This aspect of the app aims to build a
sense of community and support, and to
emphasize the benefits of reporting

to build awareness and prevent future
violent incidents.

In addition, there is an option for work-
ers to track a report they’ve filed to see
where it is in the administrative process.
When they select a report, the informa-
tion and timeline will appear, which will
indicate the administrative phase the
report is in. This feature addresses the
issue of workers being unsure of where
their report is, or if anything is being done
about it. They can also access reports
filed by colleagues who share the same
patient, so they can be updated and
aware of any incidents.

There is also an “About” page to
inform workers about what qualifies as
violence and aggression to VCH, and
the patient privacy policy. They can also
swipe right to learn why reporting is
important to themselves, their colleagues,
for research, and for funding. This infor-
mation page addresses the problem of
workers not knowing what to report and
why they should report.

CONCLUSION

This centralized reporting app that pro-
motes a positive reporting experience

by establishing a sense of action, trans-
parency, and community, will hopefully
result in reporting rates increasing, thus
creating a safer workplace for health-
care workers, and ultimately increasing
research and funding for the violence pre-
vention program. For this project, having
a clear thesis to refer back to and thinking
about the solution in the context of the
system proved to be crucial. This pro-
cess reinforced user-centered thinking
and designing to ensure that the workers’

S Report an Incident

Client/Individual Inf
Supervisor & Counselling
Supervisor Check-in >

Counselling Request

Supervisor Message

Within 30 min Hivanes

Within 2 hours y I'll be there in 10 minutes!

Before end of s|

needs were met. Through the process easy to integrate into a wider system

we made some major decisions, such as of electronic healthcare records in the

deciding on making an app, and using the future. Creating something interactive

app to share patient information between for this project was also beneficial in that

nurses. These decisions were validated it pushed us to consider the future, where

through our future-oriented approach, in such interactive systems will be more

which apps and tablet usage will be nor- widely implemented. Although there is

malized, the hospital data system will be an argument that technological interac-

electronic, and where patient information tions limit personal interactions, the solu-

sharing would ultimately prevent violence. tion we have created is meant to enhance

Other decisions included narrowing down human interaction by making communi-

which features to highlight, in this case, cation more efficient and effective, rather

those that perpetuate a sense of action than replacing it. A centralized reporting

and efficiency using the immediate feed- app such as ours will hopefully achieve all

back and notification system. of these goals, as well as help our end user
If we were to start this project again, group of health care workers stay safe in

and given more time, we would have their working environment.

explored different options that are not just

future-oriented, but which could also be ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

implemented in the present. We would I would like to thank Deborah Shackleton

have also created solutions directed at for providing guidance and support,

all the stakeholders in the entire system, Jonathan Aitken for facilitating the

including the supervisors, managers, Violence in Healthcare project with

and charge nurses. As well, we would like Vancouver Coastal Health, and the

to have been immersed in the health- workers at VCH for participating in our

care environment to fully understand the project, attending our co-creation

needs and limitations of the users. session, and sharing valuable insights.

COMMENTARY

When collaborations between the health-
care industry and communication design-
ers occur, projects such as these bring
new processes and perspectives to both

; > ; REFERENCES
industries. While the healthcare indus- f)] British Columbia. Occupational Health and Safety
try can benefit from design thinking and Agency for Healthcare in British Columbia. Research
creative solutions, designers can benefit Update: Violence in Healthcare Worker Survey.
from working with a problem space that Vancouver: PHSA, 2009.

requires evidence-based, user-centered Eastman, B. and Schecter T. British Columbia.
> > Provincial Health Services Authority. “Behavioral Care

and participatory design. These prac- Planning for Violence Prevention.” Provincial Violence
tices are especially relevant now, as there Prevention Curriculum. Vancouver: PHSA, 2011.

is a “paradigm shift currently occurring [3] Rippon, T.J. “Aggression and Violence in Health Care
in design practice—that is, away from Professions.” Journal of Advanced Nursing 31, 2

wo . (2000), 452-460.
designing for people and towards design [4] Fulton Suri, J. Involving People In The Process. http://

: . ”
ing with people” [4]. As a system, we designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/
imagine our solution will be relatively Jane-Fulton-Suri-for-with-by. pdf.

[2