APPENDIX C: user observation summary

On Thursday, October 10th, 2024, at 5pm, members of DTC Section 11 observed Mark Clifton, the client, perform a variety of activities while actively utilizing supplemental oxygen. Section 11 also spoke to Mark and his wife Travis Clifton to gain a fuller understanding of Mark’s routine and the struggles that he and other members of the household encounter due to his oxygen therapy. The session lasted around one hour. This appendix explains the observation methodology utilized by Section 11, Group 1 and summarizes the findings of the observation and interview.

The observation was conducted in Mark and Travis’ Evanston home, where Mark spends the majority of his time. The meeting began with a tour of the house, starting with the bedroom and ending in the living room. The rooms Mark most frequents were visited and he demonstrated typical routines such as waking up, going to sleep, and exiting the house.

Process of wrapping up oxygen tubing

• Both Mark and Travis demonstrated the way in which they wrap up excess oxygen tubing.

• Mark describes that the process is “not a perfect science”

• By looping the tubing over and under a rough circle of tubing is created 

• A bit of slack is left so Mark can continue to move around

• The wrapped up tubing is hung on a command hook 

The organized tubing and oxygen concentrator can be seen in Figure C1 below.

Reenactment of tripping on the oxygen tubing

• Travis demonstrated the way in which she frequently trips on the tubes in Figure C2.

  • Whenever Mark sits down, the tubing can lift up off the floor which creates a tripping hazard in higher foot-traffic areas like the kitchen.

Process of switching from home oxygen concentrator to portable concentrator 

• When Mark is exiting the house, he must switch from the home oxygen concentrator to the portable one (around 5 hours of battery life)

• First he puts on the backpack containing the portable concentrator

• He switches cannulas then wraps up the tubing for the home concentrator and hangs it on a command hook located near the portable concentrator 

• He walks back to the bedroom and turns off the home concentrator

The method Mark walks around while holding/tugging the oxygen tube

• While Mark moves around the house, he is frequently seen holding the tube in his hand to ensure it does not get caught on anything. 

• Whether he does this consciously or subconsciously is not known

• This is one of the reasons why he would want the tubing in front of him instead of behind, to allow him easy access to grab the tube

Tidy Tube

• Mark and Travis explained that Tidy Tube does not extend very well because the tubing isn’t very stretchy

• It ends up hanging heavily and uncomfortably on Mark’s face

Swivel Connectors

• Mark and Travis uses two swivel connectors and they say it is a great solution to the tubes twisting

• However, the swivel connectors hurt Travis a lot when she accidentally steps on them

O2 Remote Automatic Retraction

• Mark and Travis haven’t tried this solution, but it has several flaws for them

  • The aesthetic is quite displeasing—it looks like a “glorified trash can”

  • Having to use a remote whenever Mark walks around is not an ideal solution

When asked, Mark did not have any specific difficulties he wished to highlight regarding living with the tubing; it was more an overall struggle. However, Travis cited the narrow hallway connecting their bedroom to the bathroom and kitchen as the most challenging interaction with the tubing. The width of the hallway was measured as 3ft and 1 inch. In this narrow hallway, any tangle of tubes takes up a majority of the space as seen in Figure C3.

Through the observation interview, more information regarding Mark’s everyday routine and problems with tubing were gleaned. The next step is to take all the information and devise a solution that best fits Mark and Travis’ needs.