from the article: The ever-increasing specialization of scientific research, combined with the complex challenges that health in society is facing calls for more interdisciplinary design research. However, healthcare and creative researchers come from different worlds that do not automatically align and intensive collaboration between different disciplines is often not without obstacles. We analyzed ten projects that are in the process of interdisciplinary research on solutions for living with dementia, obesity or loneliness. The question we address is: Which strategies do health and creative professionals use to work together in design research? We found that an array of strategies is used to foster collaboration as recommended in literature. However, the strategies to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in research recommended in literature do not easily fit the unpredictability of design research projects and the complexity that comes from doing research in health practice.
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Making design work in the field of dementia requires interdisciplinary research. However, obstacles are likely to occur when healthcare and creative researchers work together. Analyzing the startup phase of ten interdisciplinary projects in the field of dementia, overweight and loneliness we found seven strategies to overcome these barriers: use boundary brokers, combine theory, combine research approaches, organize for collaboration, joint activities, separate activities, and use artefacts. As many dementia research projects involve exploring new products and technologies, particularly the use of artefacts might be an interesting strategy to foster the collaboration of healthcare and creative research disciplines.
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Increasingly, Design Thinking has influence beyond the confines of traditional design disciplines and expands its’ role in connecting domains and integrating resources. This study focusses on the changing role of design researchers involved in interdisciplinary research projects, following a Research-through-Design (RtD) approach. The research context for this study is a project on designing and evaluating digital solutions in the context of dementia. Based on process research methods this study provides a holistic view on dynamics between actors from different domains and an understanding on the role of design researchers within the complexity of the larger system of an interdisciplinary RtD-collaboration. Findings on organizational-, process- and product level emphasize on three changing roles for design researchers in interdisciplinary RtD: 1) A mediator role, 2) a sensemaking role, and 3) a role in improving processes by applying research artefacts.
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In recent decades, a considerable amount of literature on interdisciplinary collaboration has been published. Interdisciplinary collaboration plays an important role in matching services to the individual needs of children and young people, but working interdisciplinary appears to be hard for youth social work professionals. The aim of this scoping review was to identify, analyse, and summarise literature on stimulating interdisciplinary collaboration among social work professionals working with youth. Seven databases were systematically searched (until March 2017), and grey literature was hand‐searched for relevant publications. Included in this review were empirical studies on at least one (future) social work professional working with youth that (a) focused on interventions for or important elements in interdisciplinary collaboration, team development, or teambuilding/work, (b) were conducted in a Western country; (c) met a clearly written method, and (d) were published in English or Dutch. Eighteen publications met the criteria, in which two categories of studies could be identified: focusing on important elements in interdisciplinary collaboration (ten studies) and focusing on interventions (eight studies). From the ten studies on elements, six overarching elements were distinguished that appear to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration. (a) Awareness and understanding of the other discipline; (b) communication and interaction: feedback, reflection, and evaluation; (c) team structure; (d) willingness to work together; (e) shared responsibility/norms, and (f) mutual trust. The interventions found in the eight other studies were divided into three forms: training, organisational interventions, and tools. More support for professionals in interventions is needed to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration. The six overarching elements found in this review can be used in developing these interventions. Further research is needed to develop, test, and systemically measure interventions in order to help youth social work professionals collaborate successfully in an interdisciplinary manner.
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Intensive collaboration between different disciplines is often not without obstacles—healthcare and creative professionals come from different worlds that are not automatically aligned. This study investigates the research question: how do project partners in Create-Health innovation collaborate across boundaries, and how does it add value to interdisciplinary collaboration? It addresses the close collaborations between researchers and practice partners from creative industry and healthcare sector within ten research projects on eHealth innovation. It describes the way that Create-Health collaboration took shape across disciplinary boundaries and provides examples of boundary crossing from the ten projects, with the objective of stimulating learning in the creative and health sectors on creative ways of working on interdisciplinary projects. Findings focus on the way partners from various backgrounds work together across disciplinary boundaries and on the benefits that such collaborations bring for a project.
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Background: Delirium is a geriatric syndrome that presents in 1 out of 5 hospitalized older patients. It is also common in the community, in hospices, and in nursing homes. Delirium prevalence varies according to clinical setting, with rates of under 5% in minor elective surgery but up to 80% in intensive care unit patients. Delirium has severe adverse consequences, but despite this and its high prevalence, it remains undetected in the majority of cases. Optimal delirium care requires an interdisciplinary, multi-dimensional diagnostic and therapeutic approach involving doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. However, there are still important gaps in the knowledge and management of this syndrome. Main body: The objective of this paper is to promote the interdisciplinary approach in the prevention and management of delirium as endorsed by a delirium society (European Delirium Association, EDA), a geriatrics society (European Geriatric Medicine Society, EuGMS), a nursing society (European Academy of Nursing Science, EANS), an occupational therapy society (Council of Occupational Therapists for European Countries, COTEC), and a physiotherapy society (International Association of Physical Therapists working with Older People of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, IPTOP/WCPT). Short conclusion: In this paper we have strongly promoted and supported interdisciplinary collaboration underlying the necessity of increasing communication among scientific societies. We have also provided suggestions on how to fill the current gaps via improvements in undergraduate and postgraduate delirium education among European Countries.
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Integrating knowledge and expertise from designers and scientists proposes solutions to complex problems in a flexible and open-minded way. However, little insight is available in how this collaboration works. Therefore, we reflected on a research project aimed at supportive care interventions for child oncology, and detected barriers and enablers for effective designer scientist collaboration. We interviewed medical scientists (n=2), designers (n=5), health care professionals (n=2), design students (n=3), and one design innovation-expert. Enablers appeared a receptive attitude towards innovation, and shared terminology facilitated by participatory design tools, internal communication means, and common goals. Largest barrier was unstable team membership. Future collaborative research projects might benefit when preventing barriers and stimulating enablers.
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In this empirical study, the one-day project Robot Love Design-a-thon was designed for an interdisciplinary group of preservice teachers (in arts, sciences, and primary education), and evaluated through observations and learner reports. An analysis of the observations and the learner reports showed that having to go through a complete design process in a single day worked well: it facilitated the exchange of ideas and critical discussions between students concerning the project’s socially engaged theme ‘Tenderness and Technology’. In addition, interdisciplinary collaboration emerged as an important learning outcome. All students found working in mixed teams a relevant and educational experience as they could profit from each other’s expertise.
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Physical activity provides substantial health benefits yet physical inactivity is one of the most challenging problems of these days. Development in mHealth and eHealth applications, such as wearable technology, create vast opportunities but are still insufficiently used to promote sustainable physical activity. To enhance the development of such products, participation and cooperation of professionals with different knowledge and expertise is required. We developed a board game called COMMONS to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration in the design of health-related wearable technologies. In this paper we present the design process of COMMONS, results of the play sessions and discuss the future development of COMMONS and the possible implications within the field of Human-Computer Interaction.
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Problems with communication and collaboration among perinatal caregivers threaten the quality and safety of care given to mothers and babies. Good communication and collaboration are critical to safe care for mothers and babies. In this study the researchers focused on studies examining the factors associated with good communication and collaboration as they occur in working routines in maternity care practice. Their study is part of a growing trend of identifying the positive aspects of communication and collaboration in maternity care.
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