Human Centered Design(HCD) is a concept of developing systems and processes with the focus of the human in the center. The HCD develops frameworks while always keeping the perspective of the human in view while developing solutions.
A Human Centered Design in the healthcare setting would be developed with the “Patient” in the center, and problems are solved by developing systems, frameworks or protocols leading to favourable outcomes for the patient.
How to create a Human Centered Design?
Creating a Human Centered Design involves
- Discovering who will the design benefit, what problems entail the consumer;
- Define the problem and understand what can be done;
- Design a process or product or system such that it benefits the consumer;
- Prototype & Test the design;
- Plan & Implement
“Re-imagine the experience of receiving preventive and wellness care“
Our Goal-As a group we began to deliberate what do we want different in the experience of receiving primary care. Our idea of a redefined experience from a primary care visit was to focus on the preventive aspect of wellness.
Our Question-How to maximize the opportunity of inculcating the concept of healthy living and make access to education on healthy living available?
Conception of the idea-Address the disease at its roots. This meant improving facilities and access to information on common health conditions, their risks, how to prevent these diseases, general information on how to maintain physical and mental well being and any other health or lifestyle questions that may arise. Improving health education can help patients to live a healthier lifestyle and decrease the onset of disease and visiting the doctor. After thoughtful deliberation we agreed on our redefined design.
” A casual, community space where patients can receive education and resources from a primary care physician or health professional, without an appointment”
This serves as an inviting space where patients are free to learn about health related concerns from professionals while socialising with like minded people. Health education is also offered by putting up posters, pamphlets and advertising at different parts of the hospital as well as the city.
Other approaches to redefined primary care experience?
The idea of redefining the primary care experience sparked different aspects of the challenge among other peers.
Yellow- Proposed ideas/ solutions
Power of the Human/Patient Centered Design (HCD)
The same design challenge was presented to all of us, yet the different groups seems to have approached it differently while keeping the essence of preventive wellness of the patient in mind.
Potential of HCD– The HCD is a useful tool that can be used to view the problem/situation from the view of the consumer/ patient where the ultimate design improves the intended audience experience.
Limitations of HCD– The HCD is more effective when a group or team of people are involved compared to when done individually or a smaller group.
Applications of HCD– HCD can be used in a multitude of situations. It is applicable in any industry or organisation that provides a service or product. Some areas in the healthcare industry that can use the Human Centered Design are
- Hospital facility– A patient centred approach can be used to improve any particular aspect of their existing process or system
- Medical device companies– The HCD concept can be used when designing a device which may be intended to use by the patients or the doctors/ medical staff
- Pharmaceutical companies– The Patient Centric Design concept is used when producing new medications, where the intend of any new drug will be to have less adverse and side effect for the patient
Modified Patient Centered Design
In our previous design model we did not include some aspects of preventive wellness. With taking inspiration and ideas from the work presented by other groups, I would modify our original design to include aspects of
- Reducing waiting time to see the doctor by using
- Online check-in which can move the pre-appointment paperwork,
- Patient is redirected to health education professional after doctor’s visit to ensure that patient is well informed about their health condition and answer any questions that a patient might have
- Improved navigation or access to healthcare system with the help of a patient navigator
The idea of a Patient Centered Design will include a team of professionals that work together to facilitate an outcome that is patient centric. These different teams of professionals will constitute a clinical microsystem.