The values of Design Thinking in healthcare

Healthcare is changing faster than ever before. Ground-breaking innovations in treatment options, changing patient needs, challenges of aging and affordability of care mean that healthcare organisations need to be able to adapt to the changing world. Meeting patients' needs requires rapid and flexible responses to change.

THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF TOP-DOWN STEERING

A complex challenge in an organisation where needs of patients come together with interests of health insurers, healthcare professionals and government. A challenge that requires a transition in the way healthcare organisations deal with the world around them. The rapidly changing world makes it impossible to know what the world will look like in a few years. Also, all the effects of an innovation are almost impossible to oversee. As an innovator or director of a healthcare organisation, it is no longer possible to choose a direction top-down, but it is important to be in constant dialogue with stakeholders. In order to make quick adjustments and choices based on validated knowledge.

INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN THINKING

Much can be learned from 'design thinking', in which designers continuously test their choices with relevant stakeholders to ultimately meet needs of all stakeholders as well as possible. A method that is widely used in rapidly changing (creative) sectors, and also lends itself well to healthcare. Design Thinking stands for discovering, understanding and really getting to the bottom of your user, within his complex context. Design thinking follows a cyclical process, including five main steps: empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test.

LOVE YOUR PATIENT, NOT HIS TREATMENT

The first and most important step is empathising. Empathise with the patient's need. As a Design Thinker, you learn from your user and stakeholders, they are experts of their own context. Not by determining for yourself what your patient and stakeholders want, but by testing your assumptions. In healthcare, we have to consider a large number of stakeholders and interests. In such a context, it is important to understand the system. How can you include your stakeholders' needs in the design of your solution as much as possible? And how can you test the outcomes with stakeholders as soon as possible.

LEARN AND IMPROVE

Based on 'learnings' when empathising with the patient and stakeholders, it is possible to get a clear picture of the problem (define). A solution can then be devised that meets the needs of the user and stakeholders (ideate). Using a prototype, this solution is tested with the user to learn whether the idea actually solves the problem. If the solution is still not successful, the solution direction is reviewed. The cyclical approach of Design Thinking motivates designers to continuously search for the optimal result for all stakeholders. The cyclical approach also makes it possible to adapt to changes in regulations, behaviour and technology development. In this way, future-proof products can be developed that continuously adapt to the needs of the user and his environment.