By Dr Claudine Kearney (Senior Lecturer and Programme Director), RCSI Graduate School of Healthcare Management.
INTRODUCTION
Design thinking is core to the advancement and development of innovations in healthcare that are patient centred. This approach can be incorporated across the field of healthcare, including but not limited to the following medical specialisations; surgery, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, radiology, paediatrics, oncology, in addition to innovation in healthcare management, hospital administration, catering and cleaning. Leading design thinking in healthcare requires not only an emphasis on innovative patient focused solutions but also compassion, empathy and collaboration, with multiple key stakeholders in the process of design thinking. This in turn will identify those solutions that will advance and transform patients’ treatment, experience, delivering a higher standard of care and developing new medical technologies. Surgery is the perfect example of current advancements in emerging and new technologies that are enabling the developments that are supporting surgery and enhancing patients’ lives. Effective leadership is core to the success of design thinking in healthcare.
WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING IN HEALTHCARE?
“Design thinking in healthcare can be defined as taking a creative and patient-centric perspective to address needs, identify and solve problems” (Kearney, 2022: 120). The emphasis of design thinking in healthcare should always put the patient front and centre, gaining a deep insight into patients’ challenges and experiences to identify the best patient solutions. It is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to healthcare. Patients’ are different and their needs are different. This is particularly important for patients with comorbidities attending different clinics. It is paramount that each clinician is fully aware of the issues, treatment and implications on the patient outside their area of expertise as the patient is one body. Effective communication between clinicians’ treating the same patient for different diseases/ illnesses is paramount. It is through this communication and collaboration across multiple-disciplinary teams that diverse level of skills emerge, leading to greater patient solutions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology is advancing at an all-time high and design thinking can help further advance healthcare in terms of surgeries, treatments and solutions to address challenging problems. However, the focus should not be just on AI and cutting-edge technological advancement in diagnostic procedures, but should also consider the impact these procedures have on patients. When patients are at their most vulnerable, there is a duty of care that all healthcare professionals should demonstrate compassion and empathy through the diagnosis, assessment, consistent advice, and treatment. This will provide patients with a positive experience, where they feel safe, secure and have trust in their team of healthcare professionals.
CORE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN THINKING
Kearney (2022: 121-123) proposed five core elements of design thinking in healthcare as follows: (1) Problem Empathy and Definition; (2) Ideation; (3) Prototype; (4) Test and Select; and (5) Implementation.
Problem Empathy and Definition
Problem empathy and definition is the starting point for design thinking. Empathy is core to the design thinking process as it is the ability to understand, have awareness and sensitivity to the patients’ needs. Defining the problem can be the most difficult but important part of design thinking. If the problem is not accurately defined, then the solution, if identified, will not focus on the addressing the correct problem. Defining the problem requires teamwork with leaders ensuring contribution from each member of their multi-disciplinary team with total objectivity and a patient centred approach.
Ideation
The focus of ideation is on brainstorming, to generate as many viable options as possible. The emphasis is on transitioning from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Instead of asking Why ask Why Not? This will help activate the greatest innovativeness among the team. Leaders need to drive all stakeholders in this process to achieve synergy, which should generate richer ideas to address the problem.
Prototype
Prototype is building a model of the idea to provide a visual sample of the proposed idea. It is fundamental that the most viable patient solutions are carefully developed and evaluated in the context of the patient focused solution. Ideally, prototype creates the opportunity to have a visual so one can assess errors, gaps and limitations as early as possible thus saving time and resources. Leaders need to create a culture that allows solutions to develop so the best solution can emerge, or be open to a combination of ideas to develop a more effective solution.
Test and Select
Testing and selecting the best solution from the many solutions proposed in the Prototype element. Each prototype should be critically evaluated by stakeholders, and further reviews and refinement should be undertaken as necessary. Following that rigorous testing is required to ensure the selected solution (if any) is the best and most viable option.
Implementation
Once the best option (if any) is tested and selected, the solution is then implemented. The greater the change the more challenging it is to gain acceptance and be implemented. Design thinking is not a one-time implementation but one that requires feedback so there is opportunity for continuous innovation even at an incremental level.
Therefore, “demonstrating a strong empathetic approach and involving patients and other relevant stakeholders in defining the problem and working towards the development of a solution there is a greater acceptance to the proposed innovation” (Kearney, 2022: 124). Design thinking in healthcare can turn innovative ideas into transformational solutions that enhance the delivery of patient care.
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND DESIGN THINKING IN HEALTHCARE
Effective and compassionate leadership is paramount to drive and support the process of design thinking and its successful implementation in healthcare. Leaders need to focus on the patient and “by challenging the status quo, thinking ‘outside the box’ in how they connect unrelated ideas in new ways, engage and collaborate with their team in the design thinking process” (Kearney, 2022: 127). The following leadership characteristics for design thinking in healthcare organizations proposed by Kearney (2022: 132) is illustrated in the Table below:
Leadership Characteristics for Design Thinking in Healthcare
| Supports and encourages staff to engage in design thinking;Protects staff on their journey; Tolerates and accepts mistakes as part of the learning process;Leads by example; Builds and develops trust among staff;Advises staff in line with core organizational goals and objectives;Takes risks as long as they do not put people’s lives in jeopardy;Shares a vision and passion for the betterment of healthcare;Delegates appropriate autonomy and responsibility to those that are best suited with required competencies to address the problem;Encourages, supports and facilitates creativity;Actively engages in the search for new ideas;Encourages progress through all the elements of design thinking; Applauds success and learns from failure. |
SUMMARY
Design thinking is a novel patient centred approach to innovation and problem solving in healthcare. The focus in healthcare should be on compassion and empathy that will create a more patient centred focus in the delivery of healthcare today and into the future. By engaging patients and key stakeholders in defining the problem and developing solutions, there will be greater opportunity for truly valuable innovations that will enhance patient outcomes, well-being, the overall healthcare system and society at large. The effective leadership of design thinking and how this process is managed with patient-centric empathy and compassion will strongly influence its success or failure.
This article was previously published in the European Association of Hospital Managers Magazine, ‘Hospital Management in Europe’ 1st edition, September 2024.
REFERENCES
Note: Further development can be found in Chapter 7 of the following book published by this author:
Kearney, C. (2022) Leading Innovation and entrepreneurship in Healthcare: A Global Perspective, Edward Elgar Publishing.
