During the 2-day "IDEATE: A Virtual Designathon" held by HackDuke, I helped design a product focused on nurses’ wellbeing during this pandemic and beyond. In addressing the issue of nurses finding time for self-care activities, we created a core feature that allows for switching shifts with other nurses. In effect, this enables nurses to easily take breaks when they need it for personal or mental health reasons. For the additional goal of maintaining nurses’ health, options for a mood journal and encouragement to complete meditation offer valuable resources to track and maintain physiological and psychological health. Furthermore, we formulated the app to provide opportunities for nurses to chat with therapists to receive professional help or even connect with other nurses to talk through shared difficulties.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed extreme stress and chaos onto the lives of workers on the front lines, especially for our health care professionals. Every day, our nurses must navigate isolation, anxiety, and fear while they work tirelessly and with little break. While of high importance at all times, this pandemic has crucially brought to light how important it is to care for our caregivers. Wanting to prioritize the best possible care for their patients all day long, it can be difficult for nurses to take time for themselves. As nurses deal with longer hours filled with tougher decisions and more emotional trauma, resources must be in place to help them first, find time for self-care, and second, maintain their own health. These resources must encourage and facilitate that process and build the infrastructure to allow nurses to continue doing their important and powerful work.
