It took IDE alumnus Jesse Beem some time to get used to being the only Delft engineer among the doctors and medical researchers at VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam (VUmc). He designs and modifies special meeting rooms in which doctors from various medical specialisms can consult with each other as efficiently as possible before deciding on a patient’s diagnosis and treatment.
Every week in the VUmc, neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, pathologists and other specialist health professionals meet to discuss patients with brain tumours. This is called the multidisciplinary team meeting (MDM) and is the ultimate moment when these patients’ diagnoses and treatment plans are agreed. Effectiveness and a team spirit are therefore essential. The VUmc was interested in discovering how design and technology can help create conditions in which the various medical specialists can make optimum use of the multidisciplinary aspect of an MDM.
The hospital put in a request to the IDE Medisign coordinator, Marijke Melles. Would a technically-trained designer be able to take a look at this? This is how Jesse Beem embarked on his graduation project in February 2016. Since his graduation Jesse is working full-time at the hospital. ‘The doctors’ focus is completely on the patients. They had given very little thought to these issues,’ says Jesse in his office. ‘The conference rooms had not been set-up as specialist MDM rooms. There was a lot of potential for improvements.’
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