Resources
Prototypes
Tele-Empathy: A Digital Medicine Experiment
Treating chronic health conditions is a drain not only on patients but on healthcare providers. Evidence shows that over time, healthcare providers can get lost in the day-to-day aspects of managing chronic conditions and can begin to lose empathy for the patients suffering from those same conditions. We sought to build the most physiologically accurate simulation device possible with the goal of creating authentic empathy through the recreation of an authentic patient experience.
Protecting Frontline Healthcare Workers from COVID-19
The Problem:
COVID- 19 is a highly contagious disease. When more serious cases develop in hospitals, intubating patients creates a dangerous environment for healthcare workers by aerosolizing COVID-infected aspirate in a contained area. The infection rate for healthcare workers who intubate patients is unacceptably high.
The Solution:
At the start of the pandemic, our team identified a physician in Taiwan who had developed an intubation box of simple plexiglass that created a semi-enclosed space where healthcare workers could safely intubate patients without exposing themselves to COVID-19 infection. We adapted the box to a design that worked in a North American hospital setting, contacted hospitals to identify where they were needed most, and partnered with local manufacturers to scale up manufacture, distribute, and install over 1,000 boxes to 122 hospitals across North America. Learn more about intubation boxes and download the 3D models: