NICU Mum to PICU Researcher: A Reflection on Place, People, and the Power of Shared Experience

Abstract

AbstractIn this chapter, I reflect on my experience as a research student intern in the HEAL PICU Partnership Project. I explore the challenges and opportunities I found in working in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) alongside the importance of connection with staff and families and share what this project meant to me personally, as a designer, researcher and parent. Throughout the PICU Partnership Project I was able to draw not just on empathy in a general sense, but on the firsthand experience of having my own daughter born prematurely and being a parent at an intensive care bedside. This chapter will outline my involvement in the project; from the initial meeting where parents and families became our focus in line with the ideals of PICU Liberation, through the time spent observing the use of the physical spaces, establishing relationships, and gaining the trust and voice of PICU staff and families, to the formulation and recommendation of design concepts aimed at summarising key themes and providing a clear and informed way forward. I provide insight into my design process informed by theory, care, and intuition, and summarise the research outcomes and design concepts formulated. It is my hope that this summary demonstrates that, though the experience for families in PICU can never be easy, it can be improved, through good, informed design.