Prioritising Mental Wellbeing: Human-Centred Design for Health Workforce Professionals
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By: Alexi Freeman
“Design is often misunderstood as form and aesthetic, but it also includes the broader systems we interact with, such as healthcare"
Hospitals are jam-packed with cutting-edge technologies providing state-of-the-art care for patients. Amidst all the bleepy sounds and whirring machines are the healthcare workers – our unsung heroes who often bear the brunt of immense stress while pumping the lifeblood of care.
The Care Workforce Labour Market Study projected a shortage of 200,000 healthcare workers by 2050. Health Workforce Australia confirmed a shortage of 100,000 nurses and 3,000 doctors within three years.
So, why are we facing a healthcare worker shortage of potentially catastrophic proportions?
Dr Ollie Cotsaftis, design practitioner and senior lecturer at RMIT University’s School of Design, leads transformative research revolutionising the healthcare industry.
His research intertwines digital fabrication technology, compassion and design ingenuity to prioritise the wellbeing of healthcare workers and mitigate burnout.
“Design is often misunderstood as form and aesthetic, but it also includes the broader systems we interact with, such as healthcare,” Cotsaftis said.
Dr Olivier Cotsaftis
Building on insights from the 2021 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, Cotsaftis developed the Safety Sensescaping project, placing the mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals at the core of the design process. By engaging stakeholders from diverse roles and backgrounds, the design solutions resonate with the unique needs of the healthcare workforce.
Recognising that healthcare workers may be exposed to a multitude of psychosocial hazards, Cotsaftis’ research develops innovative and practical solutions prioritising their mental wellbeing.
Safety Sensescaping is part of the Thriving in Health initiative, funded by WorkSafe’s WorkWell Mental Health Improvement Fund. Sam Jenkin, WorkSafe Victoria’s Executive Director of External Affairs, offered “As a community, we need to look after the workers who look after us. Sadly, healthcare workers face increased risk of mental illness and injury – especially those providing frontline care.”
3D knitted scrubs
Cotsaftis’ first initiative reimagines hospital scrubs – ill-fitting and seemingly innocuous garments often made from unbreathable synthetic materials. While some healthcare workers find pyjama-like scrubs comfortable, prolonged use of synthetic scrubs may irritate skin and hinder their ability to destress. Cotsaftis said, “Some workers we spoke to said their scrubs felt suffocating during highly stressful situations.”
To mitigate scrubs-based stress, Cotsaftis harnessed 3D scanning and knitting technologies to create bespoke scrubs tailored to individual body measurements.
By using circular and regenerative yarns, namely Seacell blends – known to inhibit bacterial growth and be hypoallergenic – Cotsaftis fabricated breathable and well-fitted scrubs that positively impacted the mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals.
Nurse Erin Colgan wearing her 3D knitted scrubs
Erin Colgan is a Peninsula Health nurse who pilot-tested a prototype. “This project helped me understand the impact scrubs and uniforms have on mental health… I’ve decided to change how my scrubs make me feel.”
While alternatives to synthetic scrubs are already circulating – in 2021, Melbourne-based fashion label Gorman launched an off-the-rack range of colourful patterned cotton scrubs called scrubemupwithlove – Cotsaftis’ approach offers bespoke and sustainable garments that prioritise the wellbeing of healthcare workers and the planet.
The second initiative provides dedicated rest and recovery spaces in healthcare settings – workers typically receive minimal breaks during a standard shift, double shifts are commonplace and sometimes the bathroom is the only personal space workers can access.
3D printed modular furniture in a workshop, featuring privacy dividers and two stools.
Dr Olivier Cotsaftis in front of his 3D printed furniture.
Dr Anand Kumar is a geriatrician who can access a dedicated break room and said “Sometimes breaks are missed altogether if clinical needs are high, with short staffing all too prevalent, or nurse-to-patient ratios are inadequately managed by hospital funding models.”
Addressing the critical need to retrofit hospitals with tranquil spaces for workers to maximise the benefits of their minimal downtime is a core objective of the strategy. Cotsaftis said, “Many healthcare workers take breaks wherever they can, but there may not be seating areas or they may lack privacy… They’re also constantly subjected to noise pollution, making it difficult to destress.”
In response, Cotsaftis has developed an innovative suite of sound-absorbing, portable, modular, cost-effective and compostable furniture that leverages 3D printing technology and circular materials like bio-based corn-starch bioplastics. The retro-futuristic-looking furniture features sound-dampening rounded edges, mitigating sensory pollution and stress in bustling hospital environments.
However, frontline worker retention and sustained improvements in mental and physical wellbeing require more than well-fitting garments, dedicated seating areas and circular design principles.
3D printing machine in a workshop printing one of the privacy dividers.
Healthcare workers also need natural air and light, fair remuneration, patient respect and adequate breaks. In 2022, amendments were made to the Victorian Occupational (Psychological) Health and Safety Regulations, underscoring the significance of workplace mental health.
Industry partners have committed to supporting over 100,000 frontline healthcare workers across Victoria, potentially encompassing 642,000 Australian health practitioners in the future.
Cotsaftis envisions his human-centred design strategy as a blueprint for proactive and comprehensive approaches to workplace mental health solutions. Embracing circular and regenerative principles like sustainably sourced and compostable materials, material-led design innovations foster an ecosystem of care for healthcare workers and the environment.
Nurse Erin Colgan in her 3D knitted scrubs next to Dr Olivier Cotsaftis
Furthermore, policies that apply future iterations of the Safety Sensescaping strategy could proactively support change in the building code, enabling the prioritisation of staff wellbeing in hospital planning.
With compassion, design ingenuity and technology, Cotsaftis spearheads a transformative research project that reframes our care for those who care for us. Cotsaftis’ research seeks to humanise healthcare, refocusing its lens to encompass the wellbeing of healthcare professionals.
A design approach that enables a more compassionate and supportive care ecosystem, empowering our healthcare heroes with the wellbeing to continue their vital work of healing our communities. After all, a healthy workforce is the true lifeblood of exceptional patient care.