Transforming healthcare now – one doodle at a time.

Author: Stefanie Doebl – Epidemiology Group, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Research stories have the potential to enable real change in people, organisations and society. Many researchers aspire to create a powerful impact through their work. However, it can be a daunting task to tell an inspiring story. The speaker of this presentation shows her unique approach to this challenge.

Being based in an interdisciplinary health services research team, she focuses on patients affected by fibromyalgia, a long-term pain condition, and their experiences interacting with the healthcare system. She had to ask herself how she as a researcher could communicate patient healthcare journeys in a way that would allow her to include both quantitative and qualitative data as well as would leave a long-lasting impression on different audiences.

This visual presentation showcases the speaker’s winning entry for a research competition which challenged doctoral students to describe their research in a self-created, single image and maximum 100 words. For the single image, the speaker overlaid an original photograph with over 40 doodles (simple drawings) in a photo editing software. The doodles, which were hand drawn by the speaker, were purposefully arranged to communicate patients’ symptoms and their experiences with the healthcare system. They also demonstrated how these patient stories can be used to improve healthcare delivery for people with fibromyalgia. For the text, the speaker applied a creative writing style to describe her research succinctly.

Researchers have many opportunities to tell powerful stories. However, different approaches are needed to communicate patient experiences of health and healthcare, creating an impact which will lead to change.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Visual presentation
Theme: Transformation