Utilizing Design Thinking for Effective Multidisciplinary Diabetes Management

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 13; p. 1934
• Main Authors: Hsieh, Ming-Chen, Kuo, Yu-Ming, Kuo, Yu-Lun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 04.07.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Brief Report; Care and treatment; Collaboration; Cooperative learning; Design thinking; Diabetes; Diabetes therapy; Diabetics; Interdisciplinary aspects; Interprofessional education; Medical personnel; Methods; Patient-centered care; Patients; Problem solving; Professionals; User behavior; User feedback; Taiwan; discharge planning; interprofessional education; design thinking
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11131934

(1) Background: Design thinking, as a human-centered design method, represents a unique framework to support the planning, testing, and evaluation of new clinical spaces for diabetic care throughout all phases of construction. This approach prioritizes the needs and experiences of diabetic patients to create innovative and effective healthcare environments. By applying design-thinking principles, healthcare facilities can optimize the design and functionality of their clinical spaces, ensuring a patient-centered approach to diabetic care. This holistic and personalized approach can ultimately enhance the overall quality of diabetic care provided to patients. (2) Methods: The study used the action research method and progressively explored diabetes patients’ needs and preferences for care, subsequently developing creative solutions to achieve the goals. There were six doctors, seven nursing staffs, four case managers and three family members who participated in the design-thinking workshop. (3) Results: The participating trainees in this study developed unique and innovative solutions during the iterative process of “divergent thinking” and “focused thinking”, including diabetes dietary guidelines for food ordering and delivery platforms, and the design of accompanying health-education picture books to enable patients to learn the care process and precautions before, during, and after discharge. (4) Conclusions: This continuing education model promoted sharing among participants, improved collaboration and mutual learning, and increased motivation through goal setting.