How Design Thinking and Quality Improvement Can Be Integrated into a "Human-Centered Quality Improvement" Approach to Solve Problems in Perinatology

Jessica Gaulton; Byron Crowe; Jules Sherman

doi:10.1016/j.clp.2023.01.006

How Design Thinking and Quality Improvement Can Be Integrated into a "Human-Centered Quality Improvement" Approach to Solve Problems in Perinatology

Clin Perinatol. 2023 Jun;50(2):435-448. doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2023.01.006. Epub 2023 Mar 27.

Authors

Jessica Gaulton¹, Byron Crowe², Jules Sherman³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, RO-320, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: jgaulton@bidmc.harvard.edu.
² Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
³ Biodesign Program, Children's National Hospital, 111 Michigan Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20010, USA.

PMID: 37201990
DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2023.01.006

Abstract

Both quality improvement (QI) and design thinking (DT) methodologies have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Although QI sees problems through a process-centered lens, DT leverages a human-centered approach to understand how people think, behave, and act when encountering a problem. By integrating these 2 frameworks, clinicians have a unique opportunity to rethink how to solve problems in health care by elevating the human experience and putting empathy back at the center of medicine.

Keywords: Design thinking; Human-centered design; Innovation; Neonatal-perinatal; Neonatology; Perinatology.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Delivery of Health Care
Humans
Perinatology*
Quality Improvement*