WAITING
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Whilst reflecting upon my 3 visits and thoughts thus far - particularly my rising panic at needing to get work rolling in a worthy direction ASAP - the word "waiting" has struck a chord. Waiting seems to be the most common activity in the hospital.
Prepare for some rambling thoughts to tumble out of my head, in no particular order: An email from Susie "I'm really enjoying reading your notes and seeing your work. There is so much that the work can help inform. Something you mentioned was how your work could help the patient journey - or if it should. I can absolutely see that it does: the very nature of looking at an image that resonates with what you might be going through - another wait for an appointment, another costa coffee, another journey through 'those doors', helps people feel less 'on their own'. This was something that came up an arts in hospitals seminar the other week: familiarity is reassuring". and "I was thinking that renal might be interesting as the patients are in 3 times a week for 4 hrs or so on dialysis. So they have a repeated journey - many for the rest of their lives....and get very board! I'm not sure when dialysis times are but can find out if you think this might be of interest". Suggesting that the 'waiting' aspect of a patient's journey is part of the cause of anxiety (certainly that's what I've observed) and that recording and showing that might have a positive effect. So far I have only witnessed 'waiting' in the atrium, but as Susie indicates, many wards and departments will be full of waiting. Ties in well with my bus drawing approach - people waiting, idle, passing time. People waiting - patients, visitors and in some cases, staff - could be argued to be the most observed activity within the hospital. I’ve observed the physical anxiety of waiting, in those I’ve drawn. People don’t sit still for long, despite having prepared themselves to do exactly that with their books, magazines and tablets. |
