From playground design to patient care — how NMU is humanising healthcare

When a group of Nelson Mandela University architecture and health sciences students started designing a school playground, they weren’t thinking about swings and slides — they were designing a safe space so differently-abled children could play safely alongside their peers.

By the end of the project, the students had learnt the power of working across disciplines to solve real-world problems.

This hands-on collaboration is at the heart of Nelson Mandela University’s human movement sciences department, where learning to work together isn’t optional — it’s survival, says head of department Dr Aayesha Kholvadia.

In South Africa’s resource-stretched health system, professionals must communicate, coordinate and innovate across fields from day one, she said.

The department delivers health sciences education within a model that puts collaboration, rather than competition, at its core. Through Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP), students from different disciplines – from biokinetics to dietetics – learn to work with one another well before they enter the workplace.

“It’s important because real-world healthcare is never delivered in silos,” says Kholvadia. “Doctors, biokineticists, nurses, dietitians, psychologists and many others work together. By training students early in a collaborative way, we equip them to communicate better, respect each other’s roles and ultimately provide safer, more holistic, patient-centred care.”

From classroom to community

At Mandela University, this collaborative care model plays out in joint case discussions, school health screenings, mobile health truck outreach and even playground design projects with architecture students.

Instead of one profession tackling a problem alone, teams co-develop solutions – whether that is detecting undiagnosed hypertension in schoolchildren or creating inclusive play spaces for differently abled learners. One powerful example comes from a school-based hypertension project.

“Interprofessional student teams identified children with high blood pressure who had never been screened before,” says Dr Kholvadia.

“Working with families and teachers, they provided education, referrals and support. For some learners, this was life-changing – we potentially prevented future complications by catching it early.”

This approach benefits communities as much as students. Residents don’t just receive once-off screenings; they access nutrition guidance, mental health support, physical activity interventions and referrals.

“Communities feel seen in their entirety, not just as a diagnosis,” Dr Kholvadia explained.

Innovation goes digital

IPECP isn’t confined to local schools or clinics. Mandela University is part of Afrivipe, a pan-African virtual platform where students log in to work on complex patient cases with peers across the continent. These scenarios often combine medical and social dimensions – hypertension layered with food insecurity, or HIV complicated by stigma.

Students form interprofessional teams to assess, diagnose and plan care, guided by facilitators but driven by peer-to-peer learning.

“Afrivipe exposes students to different cultural, professional and contextual perspectives,” says Dr Kholvadia. “It’s truly collaborative.”

Mentoring adds another dimension. Senior students guide juniors, while staff mentor both groups, helping shy learners develop confidence and leadership.

“I’ve seen students who started out unsure grow into leaders who can facilitate discussions and advocate for patient needs,” she adds.

Transdisciplinary by design

IPECP extends beyond health disciplines, pulling in expertise from other faculties. A standout collaboration paired Human Movement Sciences students with architecture students, under the guidance of head of the architecture department Dr Jean-Pierre Basson, to co-design inclusive playgrounds.

Health students provided knowledge on children’s physical, cognitive and emotional needs; Architecture students translated these into safe, creative spaces. With parents, teachers and learners, they co-created environments that promoted inclusion and wellbeing.

Other projects include the university’s mobile health truck, where interprofessional teams bring integrated services to rural communities. Biokineticists, nurses, dietitians and medical students travel together to offer screenings, counselling and health promotion in areas where access is often limited.

Changing the culture of care

For students, staff and communities, the benefits of this model are tangible. Students often report that it’s the first time they’ve truly understood the value of other professions.

Communities appreciate Mandela University’s ongoing presence and respectful engagement rather than “drop-in” interventions. Staff, meanwhile, welcome the innovation – even when it challenges traditional teaching norms.

This work also reflects the institution’s broader philosophy.

“Humanising pedagogy means valuing the dignity, voice and lived experience of all people,” says Dr Kholvadia.

“Through IPECP, our students learn to engage with clients as whole people, not just as cases. The transformative model is evident in how these projects change both students and communities – moving us toward equity, responsiveness and care that acknowledges South Africa’s realities.”

Looking ahead

The institution’s interprofessional model is still expanding. Plans are under way to extend collaborations into fields such as education, law and social work, recognising that health challenges are intertwined with broader social and structural issues.

There’s also a vision to strengthen partnerships with local NGOs and clinics, ensuring that projects reach even more communities in need.

“South Africa faces unique challenges from workforce shortages to social determinants of health,” Dr Kholvadia reflects.

“Graduates who are trained collaboratively are better prepared to innovate with limited resources, to work in under-resourced settings, and to build networks that make a real difference. That’s the future we’re aiming for.”

 The playground project

Health sciences students teamed up with architecture peers to design inclusive playgrounds for differently abled children. By consulting parents, teachers, and learners, the teams co-created safe, accessible spaces that reflected children’s physical and emotional needs. The result? A project that transformed not just the play spaces, but also the way future professionals see their role in society. DM

Beth Cooper Howell was contracted by Nelson Mandela University to write this article.