Project Goal
We strive to contribute to the One Health approach by enabling real-time information sharing between all stakeholders to reduce the scale of zoonotic outbreaks. Our overarching goal of this project is to reduce delays in early stage reporting of zoonotic diseases in order for stakeholders to more quickly identify and address potential outbreaks.
We aim to develop a solution that bridges the animal health service system and the public health system, and address the following prevalent questions:
1
What is the relationship between the animal health service system and the public health system?
2
What does the reporting process look like for zoonotic diseases and how does their collaboration contribute to the One Health approach?
3
How do we encourage these stakeholders to work together to uphold responsibility in decreasing the spread of zoonotic outbreaks?
Research
Research Process
Secondary Research: Literature Review on One Health Approach
To better understand the One Health approach, how infectious disease reporting is currently handled, and identify flaws with current zoonotic disease reporting, we conducted online research to find relevant papers for literature review.
Boston University Medical Center
For instance, from the chart to the right, you can view the disease reporting pathway in Massachusetts and most other states.
Secondary Research: Competitive Analysis
Overall, there is currently no up-to-date application to allow the common person nor a veterinarian to quickly and easily report zoonotic diseases. All resources out there for official disease reporting is managed by the government, and the government only provides limited information on disease data.
Exploring Stakeholders
We have identified numerous stakeholders surrounding the veterinarians. Our findings from both primary and secondary research have led us to bring especially more attention to the animal owners and government officials, who are the most directly related to the reporting of veterinarians. They are also the people that would be able to provide any further collected data or insights into the disease cases that the vets are working on.
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Primary Research: Semi-Structured Interviews & Directed Storytelling
Semi-structured Interviews
We conducted semi-structured interviews with four stakeholders that could give us a better understanding of the disease reporting process and the challenges they face in this time-sensitive process.
01. Veterinary Public Hygiene Specialist
02. Professor of Virology
03. Animal Training Professional
04. Veterinarians
Directed Storytelling
For each stakeholder, we conducted 30 min interviews using directed storytelling to extract personal accounts from their experience. We mainly focused on asking about the connections between stakeholders and the inefficiencies that the current system has.
Synthesis
Affinity Diagram & Insights
We synthesized the stakeholder interviews with an affinity diagram to identify relationships and common pain points, given the number of stakeholders and the scope of problem we were facing. We identified the key problems in the zoonotic disease reporting process:
1
There is a lack of transparency in data transfer about disease reporting among vets, lab scientists, and government officials.
2
There is a lack of concise, well-communicated procedure for reporting infectious diseases and delegation of responsibilities
3
Communication with the local health department is often an inconvenient process for vets.
4
The public lacks sustained awareness and attention for zoonotic diseases.
5
Vets suffer from emotional stress due to the lack of understanding from pet owners.
Persona & Empathy Map
We realized that vets' motions and experience is a crucial part of the problem we are trying to solve, so we decided to create an empathy map that would illustrate the vets’ struggles based on the interviews we conducted.
Final Problem Statement
How might we help veterinarians better communicate and follow up with the local health department throughout the zoonotic disease reporting process?
Low-fidelity Prototype
Ideation with Crazy 8
We used Crazy 8s to brainstorm solutions to answer our "how might we" design question. We explored digital solutions, non-digital solutions, and riskier options with more unorthodox ideas.
Concept Validation with Speed Dating
We then developed the key solutions into 8 storyboards to concisely visualize how they would change a current state towards a more ideal state. We conducted speed dating with 3 professional veterinarians narrow down our solution with on their feedback.
We identified our key stories with constructive feedback:
1. Centralized Reporting and Tracking
“At a clinic, the vets don’t hear back so a follow up would be appreciated. “
2. Pet ID Database with Medical Records
“We need an online reporting system that shows disease, pet owner info, and vaccination info. “
3. Live Recorded Chat with Government Official
“Anything that makes reporting cases digital is helpful. “
4. Blaring Alarm for Disease Alerting
“Not necessary. More subtle notification with relevant updates would be enough.”
Speed Dating Insights
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