Summary
Healthcare in the United States often struggles to innovate in delivering optimal patient experiences across acute and non-acute settings. However, those service designers who work within large health systems get to experience first-hand on why it is extremely hard to implement changes in a singular or multi-level service interaction across healthcare touchpoints. In this case study, you will hear first hand learnings on how to influence the decision-making process of solutions that shape the patient and the clinician experience.
Key Insights
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Service design in healthcare must prioritize patient safety above all else.
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Timing is critical; small changes can have life-or-death consequences.
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Designers are often perceived as high-risk, complicating adoption of innovations.
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The service encounter between clinician and patient is the crucial moment for design impact.
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Top-down, sideways, and across are complementary strategies to implement healthcare service design.
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Building interdisciplinary allies is key to creating effective internal digital tools.
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Using standardized patients (trained actors) enables safe prototyping without risking real patients.
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Participating in meetings even without leading helps designers build rapport and influence.
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Respecting existing clinical and organizational legacy fosters better collaboration.
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Experimental design work requires assessing organizational readiness and appetite for change.
Notable Quotes
"Safety is the first number one priority in healthcare service design."
"Timing is everything when you’re designing in healthcare."
"We are perceived as those providing high risk to the business."
"The service encounter, that 10 to 15 minute interaction, can save lives or improve health outcomes tremendously."
"Designing for health is multidimensional and not business as usual."
"Participating in key meetings not led by design is the secret sauce to build influence."
"We dropped the word prototyping and used simulation, which was more familiar in healthcare."
"We hired standardized patients, actors trained to portray patient situations, to enable safe testing."
"If you come in as a designer wanting to change everything at once, you won’t get the response you need."
"Good trouble is part of our craft—posing challenges that lead to positive change."
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