The transplant window – Linda Klotzbach

TIME 2023/24, ongoing SKILL Service Design, Co-creation, Content & UI design
CLIENT National Heart & Lung Transplant Centre Dublin TEAM Mater Transformation

The Transplant Window

Receiving a new organ is not only a physical but also an emotional upheaval. To ease this challenging journey, it is vital to provide patients with thorough, easily digestible, and practicable information.

“The hope is to get those additional five years of life.”

— Patient (64), currently waiting for a single lung transplant

It takes a lot from patients and their loved ones to accept their deteriorating health and the need for a transplant.

The journey involves numerous tests and strict adherence to medical regimens to increase the chance for a transplant. Even if selected for transplantation, patients face major surgery and a lifetime of aftercare to prevent rejection and complications – a challenge for both body and mind.

lung transplant journey (research identified)

Identified stages of a lung transplant journey
through co-creation with staff and patients

“I don’t remember one single comprehensive item that talks me through what would happen.”

— Steve (41), double lung recipient

Based on this identified problem, the aim of the project is to provide patients and their carers with a complete information system for lung transplantation in Ireland that will accompany them on their life-changing journey from day one.

Audio excerpt of a patient interview, March 2024

How might we ...

Project phase 1

Ethnographic research

Visiting the outpatient clinic

Current information resources

Visiting the ward

In-depth patient and care partner interviews

Generated insights

Project phase 2

Sensemaking

The transplant journey

To deeply understand the entire transplant process, we developed several journey maps that capture the staff’s actions, and the usage of information resources.

This has proven to be a successful tool for engaging in discussions with staff and provides a better understanding from a patient's viewpoint.

Co-creation with staff

Through numerous workshops and co-creation sessions with the healthcare team, we validate our research findings through the perspectives of various transplant roles: