NRH Spinal Patient Handbook
—(2023)
Illustration Suite
Information Booklets
Illuminating Recovery Through Compassionate Design
An educator from Dublin's National Rehabilitation Hospital presented me with a profound creative challenge: to revitalise their patient handbook for spinal cord patients. This project resonated deeply with me; having grown up listening to my own mother's experiences as a spinal cord injury nurse, I intimately understood the need to humanise medical resources. So I embraced the opportunity to transform the hospital's dense, text-heavy guide into a more accessible and empathetic resource for patients navigating their recovery journey.
An educator from Dublin's National Rehabilitation Hospital presented me with a profound creative challenge: to revitalise their patient handbook for spinal cord patients. This project resonated deeply with me; having grown up listening to my own mother's experiences as a spinal cord injury nurse, I intimately understood the need to humanise medical resources. So I embraced the opportunity to transform the hospital's dense, text-heavy guide into a more accessible and empathetic resource for patients navigating their recovery journey.
At the time, the existing handbook, though comprehensive, suffered from dense language and an institutional aesthetic that was ill-suited for individuals already overwhelmed by traumatic injuries. My goal became transforming these text-heavy booklets into an approachable, visually engaging educational guide—one that could support not just patients and their families, but also ease the work of caregivers like my mother.
Through close collaboration with the nurses and educators at NRH, I developed an extensive set of friendly, modern illustrations to accompany the redesigned handbook content within a convenient binder format. These illustrations aimed to gently explain and demystify the complexities surrounding spinal cord injuries - from related conditions and treatment pathways to long-term impacts - all through an elevated yet accessible artistic approach.
Ultimately, this reimagined patient resource becomes an illuminating torch, lighting the way through the unknown territory of recovery and bridging the gap between complex medical jargon and personal understanding. In doing so, it provides a compassionate and accessible resource for individuals navigating spinal cord injuries. The revitalised handbook empowers patients and caregivers alike, instilling knowledge, comfort, and a sense of control throughout their journey to recovery and beyond.
