Synapse

An AI-informed caregiver dashboard that translates EHR data and neuroscience into clear, actionable insights, empowering families to support TBI recovery with confidence and care.

Role
Concept lead
Designer
Researcher
Tools
Figma
Cursor
OpenAI
PubMed
Notion
Project Type
Coursera AI for Healthcare
Conceptual Prototype
Research / Testing
5 Rehab nurses
2 Neurologists
7 Family caregivers

The Problem

After a traumatic brain injury, the formal care system drops an enormous burden onto informal caregivers: decoding medical records, managing behavior shifts, and making decisions without clinical training.

Most monitoring tools serve doctors, not families. As a result, caregivers are left trying to interpret cryptic terminology, track confusing changes in cognition, and advocate for their loved ones while overwhelmed and afraid.

This isn’t just inconvenient—it’s emotionally destabilizing and potentially dangerous.

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How might we help caregivers feel informed and equipped
to support healing without requiring a medical degree?

Strategy

Synapse focuses on:
Translating clinical data into plain language with context and empathy
Surfacing neurological explanations behind observed behaviors
Offering pattern recognition and progress tracking to reduce anxiety
Creating space for emotional context, not just clinical facts

Key Design Decisions

Raw Data becomes Real-Life Insight

Instead of exposing caregivers to raw EHR data, Synapse presents a plain-language summary of what’s changing—and why it might matter.

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Each behavior shift is paired with likely neurological explanations and simple visualizations showing trends over time.

Notes That Form the Whole Picture

Caregivers can log moments that matter—emotional wins, behavioral spikes, confusing incidents.
These notes are cross-referenced with the clinical timeline to show how stress, environment, or meds may be impacting recovery.
This turns isolated anecdotes into shared understanding across the care team.

Neuroscience, Gently Explained

Most caregivers don’t need to understand Brodmann areas. But they do need to know why their loved one might be angry, forgetful, or emotionally flat.
Synapse uses illustrated models and simple explanations to show what’s happening inside the brain—reducing blame and building compassion.

Connecting the Science to the Story

During research synthesis, one insight kept surfacing:

“I can’t tell if he’s healing, or if I’m just getting used to it.”

That emotional uncertainty is exhausting. So Synapse includes a pattern tracker that highlights small but real cognitive improvements—giving caregivers a clear picture of progress even when it feels stagnant.

This feature reframed the experience from one of helplessness to one of insight and agency.

Envisioned Impact

Improve quality of caregiver-clinician communication
Increase caregiver confidence in interpreting behavioral changes
Support emotional resilience through clearer progress tracking
Strengthen understanding of TBI symptoms via contextual education

Designed to See the Person beyond the Patient

Recovery is emotional. Language matters. Data should help, not confuse.

Tools for caregivers are long overdue.

Synapse isn’t about simplifying medicine, it’s about making space for healing.