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The DRV-Rehabilitation Fit Buddy project aims to simplify and enhance the rehabilitation process for patients in the German healthcare system. It develops tools like personalized chatbots and tracking systems for patients and physicians, addressing the complexities of rehabilitation.
National Healthcare Office
The National German Healthcare Bureau provides citizens with essential medical and rehabilitation services. Imagine you fell from a ladder. Thank goodness there is the National Healthcare Office to help you recover and continue working. However, first, someone has to assess your injury. You need to collect reports from various physicians, apply for rehabilitation, wait for approval, choose a facility, prepare for rehabilitation, come home, continue rehabilitation, and figure out who will pay for the service in the end.
As you can see, it's not that simple. It involves a lot of stress for a patient to navigate this complex system. Additionally, the process causes frustration for physicians, patients, insurance companies, and family members.
The mission of this project is to guide patients through this complex process and provide a positive experience for those who have to go through it.
My superpowers on this project
Guardian of Complexity
It is in my nature and working method to solve design problems not just one-dimensionally, but to consider them systemically as part of a larger ecosystem.
Patient Agent
Long-running projects can be very frustrating. There were times I had to keep the team motivated because the progress wasn't visible.
Capitan Curiosity
My own curiosity played a pivotal role in this project. It drove me to explore the intricacies of the German healthcare and rehabilitation system, leading to a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by patients and physicians. This curiosity pushed me to conduct extensive interviews and research, uncovering insights that shaped our approach and ultimately improved the project's outcomes.
Role and Responsibilities
I held a hybrid role throughout this nearly three-year project, with my responsibilities evolving over time.
Initially, I focused on mapping user journeys, conducting interviews with patients and physicians, and evaluating which features to implement.
As the project progressed, I adopted a more systemic approach, engaging more team members in the design process and consulting with agents in the patient system. I conducted Interviews with family members, insurance companies, non profit organisations and accessibility consultants. This broadened the project's scope and gave me a more realistic look on the system.
Team Structure
Over the project period, I worked in different roles and team setups. The team mostly consisted of business designers, researchers, UI designers, illustrators, and consultants.
Process
Understanding the complex System of the Rehabilitation Process
For this project it was crusical to understand the german healthcare and rehabilitation system. To understand it I spend days with desk research and talking to patients and goverment officials.
What we found out: Healing from an injury is a highly fragmented process. The user journey starts much earlier and ends much later than expected. Even when patients suffer an immediate injury, their preparation to accept care is crucial. After the patient leaves the hospital and enters a rehab institution, the crucial part of healing is how they take care of themselves after being released.
Expand the system
Systems thinking is about zooming in and out. After talking to patients, we noticed they are surrounded by a support system. These are people who help them get better at different stages.
Mapping the whole process
After mapping out the patient's journey, we mapped the other participants in the system to visualize their roles in helping the client improve.
With every interview, the map grew bigger and more complex. We had to simplify it each time we wanted to share or communicate our findings.
Identifying Levers of Design
After reviewing the maps we created, we identified multiple opportunities to aid patients and physicians.
We decided on three areas in the patient's journey:
We noticed in our interviews that information is fragmented and convoluted. Patients need a more accessible way to get information tailored to their needs.
We noticed that communication between physicians and patients often ends after diagnosis. We wanted to create a way for physicians to track their patients' health.
After rehabilitation is a crucial time for healing. However, patients are often by themselves and lose their support system. We want to create a system that helps patients heal after they leave rehab facilities.
Prototypes
Personalized Companion for Patients - Fit Buddy
We prototyped a Chatbot that provide tailored information based on the patients needs.
Personalized Companion for Physians and Social Worker - INA
INA is a platform for patients and physicians. Physicians have tools to track their patients' health and can manage multiple patients on one platform.
Personalized Coach for Patients - BASE
BASE is a platform targeting patients who are preparing for rehabilitation until they leave their rehab institution. They can track their rehabilitation progress and get helpful tips after finishing rehab.
Results
This is not a work in progress; it is still the beginning. Even after years of conceptualizing, the project has not been realized. However, it has inspired multiple processes in the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. My job was to lay the foundation for the great solutions to come.
After years of interviewing and researching this topic, I still don't feel 100% prepared in case I receive a serious injury. At least I know many helpful people I can ask for advice.