Dolografie
Dolografie is a visual tool with the help of which patients suffering pain can describe their sensations more concretely than ever before. For this almost 300 pain types were identified and rendered as graphic illustrations. As of now many therapists have integrated Dolografie in their therapy programmes. The driving force behind the project is Sabine Affolter.
Patients suffering pain have difficulty describing their pain sensations. Dolografie opens up completely new avenues here.
The designer began looking more closely at the topic of pain already back when she was studying. A friend was dealing with chronic hip pain and, like many people, had difficulty describing the sensations. Hence the vision of giving a face to pain came into being.
Dolografie consists of a series of abstract pictures, which intentionally elude semantic distinctiveness, thus animating the viewer to offer their own verbal descriptions. As such the pictures can be used by patients to project their associations of experiences and sensations of pain onto them.
In practical tests at the University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital) it could be proven that Dolografie has therapeutic value, and that its diagnostic potential goes beyond conventional anamnesis.
Success in medicine, but also in design: Dolografie won the Design Prize Switzerland, the marketing prize of the Bern Design Foundation [Berner Design Stiftung] and the European Design Award.
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