Embedded
Drawing Credit: ChaoticDesignStudio
The healthcare industry is one of the most critical industries in the world and plays an enormous role in the well-being of individuals. The design of medical products can have a significant impact on patient outcomes. To ensure that these products are optimized, I believe it’s important to have a dedicated design team that works full-time within the hospital environment. In this blog post, I explore the benefits and challenges of embedding full-time product designers in hospitals to develop new medical products, and subsequently, patient experience, clinician experience, and outcomes.
As the Director of The Biodesign Program at Children’s National Hospital I leverage the knowledge and expertise of our physician-scientists, patients and families to help develop products that lead to care and safety improvements. Some products I have been working on at Children’s National include:
• Devices to help reduce infections due to line disconnections
• New isolation gown designs
• New technology to improve outcomes for patients with a tracheostomy
• Patient transport devices
In addition, I design original curricula to support innovation efforts of our Nursing Resources and Innovation Council.
Designers who work with hospital administrators and clinicians can face several challenges, including:
Resistance to Change: Hospitals and healthcare providers can be resistant to change, especially when it comes to adopting new technologies or processes. This can make it difficult for designers to implement their ideas and designs.
Lack of Understanding: Hospital administrators and clinicians may not fully understand the value and benefits of design. They may view design as a secondary consideration, which can make it difficult for designers to get buy-in and support for their initiatives.
Limited Time and Resources: Hospitals and healthcare providers are often underfunded and overworked, which can limit the time and resources available for design projects. This can make it challenging for designers to get the support they need to complete their work.
Complex Regulations: The healthcare industry is highly regulated, and designers must navigate a complex web of regulations and standards to ensure that their products are safe and effective.
Different Priorities: Hospitals and healthcare providers have different priorities ($) and designers must work to align their designs with these priorities to ensure that their solutions are useful and effective.
Technical Expertise: Healthcare products are complex and require a high level of technical expertise. Designers must be able to work effectively with internal or external technical teams to ensure that their designs are feasible and can be manufactured.
These are just a few examples of the challenges designers face when working within a hospital setting. However, by working closely with various stakeholders in the hospital, and understanding their needs and priorities, designers can overcome these challenges and create innovative solutions that improve the patient experience and healthcare delivery. At the end of the day, hospital-embedded designers must able to take an idea from paper, to IRB-approved testing, to commercialization in order to translate knowledge to a. licensed product that can be distributed to customers. None of this is possible without the ability to build trustworthy relationships with hospital leadership.
Although what I do at Children’s National Hospital is unique, there are several other well-known hospital-embedded design groups in the world. Some of the most notable ones include:
Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation: The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is a well-known design group that is embedded within the Mayo Clinic. They focus on designing innovative solutions to improve the patient experience and healthcare delivery.
John Hopkins Medicine Center for Innovation: The John Hopkins Medicine Center for Innovation is a design group that works within the John Hopkins Medicine system. They focus on developing innovative solutions to improve the quality of care and patient experience.
NHS Digital: NHS Digital is a UK-based design group that is embedded within the National Health Service (NHS). They work to develop digital solutions that improve the patient experience and healthcare delivery.
The Jefferson Health Design Lab-at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health. The Jefferson Health Design Lab exists to bring people from different backgrounds together and promote inclusive design in healthcare.
Helix Lab UK-A design studio that sits within a major NHS Trust in London
If you are interested in funding, partnering or collaborating with Children’s National Hospital Biodesign Program on important clinician-led innovations please get in touch.
