Concussion in Youth Sports: Design Thinking Project

Hello again! Today I will be discussing the Design Thinking Project I created, the process I went through and what I’ve found after creating it!   First, let me explain Design thinking. Design thinking is a way of coming up with a solution to a problem. The process, which can be viewed in the picture below, consists of five steps (empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test). I used these steps to address the issue of concussions in youth sports. Untreated concussions are a prevalent problem in youth sports, so, using this process, I decided to make a solution that coaches can easily pull out and use to identify concussions quickly. Here’s the process I went through, which uses the example of heart disease rather than concussions. I first researched to find out more informations about the issue and concussions in general. I found statistics, numbers and basic information on what actually happens when a concussion occurs.  There are not many protocols surrounding concussions in youth sports, even in sports that are at higher risk for getting concussions, like hockey or football. Most people know that concussions are a problem and sometimes the symptoms are easy to spot, however, not all athletes get treatment or rest because they do not tell their coaches. Because concussions are brain injuries that can result in brain damage, it is very important coaches are aware of the major damage concussions can cause. This brings me to the next step, define.

Below there’s a quick video by a doctor from OSU explaining concussion basics.

Most coaches and athletes have a difficult time quickly identifying whether they have a concussion or not on the field or shortly after the athlete was it. This lack of identification results in athletes continuing to play, when they shouldn’t, and having an increased chance of brain damage. If identification of concussions was quick and accurate, the amount of un-reported concussions and permanent brain injuries from concussions would decrease. So, I started thinking of solutions to increase the likelihood that coaches will identify a concussion quickly, accurately and get the proper help.

Source: Stuart Seeger

I came up with a couple potential projects, such as a pocket checklist, an app that you can put your symptoms in and it will indicate whether a concussion is likely or even some sort of programmable bracelet that takes heart rate, vital signs and monitors brain activity for any irregularities, such as a concussion. All of these I thought would benefit people greatly, however, realistically, the pocket checklist is the easiest and most efficient way to achieve the goal of quick identification by coaches. So then I started to create.

Source: Patrick J. Lynch

I created a simple pocket checklist, using Piktochart, where I put a little statistic in the corner, some instructions and the symptoms of a concussion. A coach would take it out, check off which symptoms the athlete has then refer to the bottom for an estimation of severity and advice on where to go from there. It is simple, graphic and there are very few words. I found lists of symptoms through various credible sources, like here and here. I then took this list and applied it to the prototype. This prototype can be found here, and I have a couple picture of it below.   As for testing this info graphic, I have a couple of coaches and trainers that I talk to on a daily basis. Because I know coaches of non-contact sports, I wasn’t able to collect data of them actually using the chart in a real situation. However, generally the consensus was that it is a good idea that could use some improvement for the bottom row with identifying concussion type. I am no doctor, so this makes as my interpretation of concussions (mild vs severe) is based solely on research, thus, for this chart to be more accurate and useful, more research and knowledge should be gained.

If youth concussions are to be addressed, treated and prevented, we must actively try to change protocols, identification and treatment to keep the athlete’s health as the main priority. I hope that with further tweaking and research, my prototype could potentially be useful to help correct this problem!

Make sure to look further into youth concussions, as it could always use more awareness and solutions. Also, check out my other blog posts for more Sports Medicine and Biology related topics! Thanks for reading!

Heart Disease in Women: A Healthy Solution

Hello again! Today I will be talking about what other members of my Sports Med and myself did to increase awareness of heart disease and help prevent heart disease!

 

We used the Design Thinking Model to create our product, which is this website. There are five steps: Empathize, Design, Ideate, Prototype and Test. I will describe briefly what we did for each step to create our website to help lower the rate of heart disease in women!

Design Model Thinking Process

We initially began our project learning about heart disease in women, who’s affected, what the causes are, what the symptoms are and other statistics on how many women are killed each year and more. We empathized with those with heart disease, learning what they are going through, why and how there is no real cure to heart disease, only ways to manage it. Women that have heart disease, we realized, are usually older, in less physical form than they should be and often genetics play a role. However, because heart disease is so prevalent and widespread, there is no real definition for women who have heart disease, any women can get it, which is the scary part. Check out this video, a PSA I helped create, for some more quick facts on heart disease.

We learned that heart disease in women is usually caused by other factors in one’s health, which lead us to believe that if the initial health of a women can be kept on track, the number of women with heart disease could be lowered. If a women has previous health issues, her likelihood of developing heart disease increases. Health issues are caused by poor diet, lack of exercise and lack of healthy habits. Overall health, specifically diet and exercise, I believe, is what I defined as the main problem that could, and should, be addressed.

To address this problem, my group members and I brainstormed and came up with various ideas. Because of the limited amount of time we had to work together, we concluded that a virtual product would be best so we could collaborate on our own time and in our own homes. We wanted to make a product that could be seen by many people and could offer a simple solution to a complex problem. We determined that diet and exercise are key, controllable factors that we could inform, give ideas on and motivate people to live healthier lifestyle. We brainstormed solutions that were virtual, and could address health, and we could have done an app, a Facebook group or page, or various other virtual products. However, we decided to create a completely new website.

 

The prototype that we decided to create is a website, helpforhearts.wordpress.com, that gives information on heart disease, as a background, places to donate and volunteer, but mainly it lists healthy recipes and workouts for people to refer to so they can improve on a certain portion of their diet or daily exercise. Many people don’t know that healthy can taste good, and so the goal of the website is to create a location where people at risk or that have heart disease can go on, search a recipe for dinner and have a multitude of healthy options that will help improve their health and heart disease.

The home page of our website

The website is only recently published so we cannot say whether it has made an impact or not yet, however there have been a couple of visitors, which is a positive sign. There are multiple tabs, drop down menus and features that make the website, in my opinion, visually appealing. We have asked some people, and they said that they enjoyed the website, finding it helpful with tips on being healthy for diet and exercise. We hope to gain more feedback on what we should improve and how we can bring even more awareness to this disease and how to prevent it. I cannot determine whether impact on heart disease itself has been made, however, I hope that this website gives people more ideas and creative ways to stay healthy and fit, while enjoying themselves!

 

Researching women and heart disease, coming up with solutions and creating this website was a great experience that I learned a lot from. It is a horrible disease that needs more awareness and solutions and I hope the website and tips help the goal of more awareness and more prevention.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and remember to check out our website to see how you can help!

 

 

Sources Used:

Women’s Heart Foundation

CDC

The Heart Foundation

American Heart Association

Mayo Clinic