Understanding the Roles of the Designer in Health Care: A Practice-Based Study into Supporting Adolescents with Long-Term Conditions

OVERVIEW This paper reports on an ongoing PhD study based within Lab4Living, a transdisciplinary research group in design, health care and creative practice within Sheffield Hallam University's Art & Design Research Centre. Increasingly, design is becoming a recognized activity within the context of health care, with an increase in the use of design methods and approaches in development and research. This `research through design' study explores design practice and design thinking in health and well-being through the lens of the Pain Management Service at Sheffield Children's Hospital (SCH). Through case studies with the therapists and the young people, the study seeks to understand the role of participatory design methods in service improvement, and to see if the transfer of design skills to adolescents within the service has an impact on their self-management.