A design research project with chronic pain patients and clinicians to improve the communication of their complex pain lived experience
Chronic Pain is an inward, invisible experience that affects an individual's life's spiritual, mental, and physical elements. As a result, those with chronic pain may experience anger, stress, depression and other life-altering emotional factors. However, some with chronic pain are asked to use clinical assessment tools that reduce this complex experience to numbers, not allowing a patient to flesh out and explain how chronic pain is affecting their life. This may lead to miscommunication about what patients mean, a disjointed relationship with their clinician, and ineffective clinical solutions. By using tangible objects, chronic pain can become ‘real’ and be better communicated with a clinician, helping them to make better-informed decisions.
The final objects were produced in response to feedback from patients, clinicians, and chronic pain experts. There had to be enough variety to address how differently patients viewed their pain experiences while having some similarities to amplify the differences.
