Introduction to Co-Design Supporting Chronic Disease Management
Chronic diseases account for a large portion of healthcare costs and affect the lives of millions annually. However, despite the growing use of digital health tools, many patients still struggle with implementing these digital tools in their daily lives. This makes it harder for them to manage their condition, and can result in missed diagnoses, adverse effects, and delayed treatment. Therefore, it’s crucial that patients are able to effectively use digital health tools available to them, so they can have better health outcomes. This is where co-design comes in, which involves patients, caregivers, and clinicians directly in the development process. This is especially relevant for federal health IT solutions and government healthcare technology, which often focus on scalable user-centered innovations.
Shifting Toward Designing with Patients
Chronic disease management tools require sustained engagement, which unfortunately may be an issue among healthcare apps and portals. For instance, when patients are not involved in the design process, it can result in missed diagnoses and changes in health. Co-design provides a solution by creating more personalized digital health tools, which results in increased adoption because patients are more likely to use tools that they had a voice in.
Furthermore, this is also important for caregivers, since many patients with chronic conditions may rely on family members for medication, care, and transportation. Co-design considers their input as well, by creating a space for their perspectives. This creates solutions that are not only patient-friendly but also lessen the burden for caregivers, who are often not included in the design process. This inclusive approach prioritizes solutions that are designed with end-users, rather than for end-users.
Bridging the Gap between Clinical Workflows & Digital Tools
When discussing co-design, it’s important to discuss how it can be used to improve clinical workflows. For instance, many chronic disease apps may be disconnected from clinical workflows and electronic health records. This may lead to frustration, as clinicians must switch between different platforms and workflows. Therefore, digital solutions can rely on co-design to be seamlessly integrated with existing workflows, so that providers are able to provide streamlined care. This results in more engagement with patients, which in turn can reduce medical errors and missed healthcare changes.
Additionally, co-design helps anticipate barriers before deployment. For instance, clinicians might identify loud alerts as unhelpful to patients, or may prefer another way of being identified by alerts, such as lights. Therefore, by taking their input during development through an iterative co-design approach, healthcare systems can save money and release a product that clinicians want to use. Overall, the importance of co-design comes in the shift it provides in how technology is developed. Technology should be developed with the end-users, so they’re more likely to use it to streamline care.
Consequences of Not Integrating Co-Design
If co-design is not integrated into chronic disease management tools, the result is often poor user adoption, ineffective patient outcomes, delayed care, and wasted resources. For instance, if patients find digital health tools too confusing or irrelevant, they may not use them at all. This can result in them not communicating with their providers and even missing important instructions. Furthermore, if they’re relying on wearable technology, then worsening health system poms may be missed. This can result in worse health outcomes. Furthermore, if clinicians resist integrating digital health tools due to disruptive technologies, then they may also miss important communications with patients or even miss worsening health symptoms. Therefore, health IT solutions must integrate co-design so that end-users are included in the design process. This improves trust in technology and improves the impact of health IT solutions. Ultimately, co-design is a strategic tool for chronic disease management that results in effective, equitable, and successful solutions for people who need them most.
HITS
HITS provides healthcare management services & works with doctors to develop health informatics tools that promote safe and secure care. We take pride in our services and settle for nothing other than 100% quality solutions for our clients. Having the right team assist with data sharing is crucial to encouraging collaborative and secure care. If you’re looking for the right team, HITS is it! You can reach out to us directly at info@healthitsol.com. Check out this link if you’re interested in having a 15-minute consultation with us: https://bit.ly/3RLsRXR.
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