Arts and Humanities researchers have highlighted the complex and difficult situations in which health and care staff have found themselves during the pandemic.
Studies have developed tools to guide ethical and transparent decision-making and identify and assess risk in healthcare environments. Research and design skills have been applied to PPE, immunity passports and public-facing rapid testing instructions. Researchers have mapped the way in which infection spreads on public transport, and used their creativity to help the public understand public health messages and mitigate infection risk in public spaces. They have turned a spotlight on healthcare workers’ experiences of racism.
Findings suggest that staff now need improved frameworks and structures of support if they are to balance the usual requirements of their work alongside the demands of an ongoing emergency response. There are lessons to be learned about the way in which healthcare decisions have been made, communicated and received. Applying these during recovery and in future crises is likely to require increased public awareness and involvement.
Projects
Grading Gowns
Redesigning one-size PPE to fit and protect female health workers more effectively
Professor Katherine Townsend
(Nottingham Trent University)
Information Design for Diagnostics
Ensuring Confidence and Accuracy for Home Testing
Professor Sue Walker
(University of Reading)
Quality Improvement Tool for Re-designing Healthcare Service User Journeys with COVID-19 Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Professor Tom Inns
(University of Strathclyde)
Routes of Infection, Routes to Safety
Creative Mapping of Human-Viral Behaviours on the Bus to Understand Infection Prevention Practices
Dr Emma Roe, Dr Sandra Wilks, Dr Paul Hurley
(University of Southampton)
Dr Charlotte Veal
(Newcastle University)
When Pandemic and Everyday Ethics Collide
Supporting Ethical Decision-Making in Maternity Care and Paediatrics During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr Lucy Frith
(University of Liverpool)
