In this talk Dr. Avi Mehra an IBM associate partner shared valuable insights on the critical intersection of design and clinical safety in digital health. Avi and his college Flora, a design director at IBM discuss how to create safer healthcare solutions through thoughtful collaboration and user-centered design principles.
The presentation begins with a personal story from the speaker’s early days in an intensive care unit, highlighting a serious patient safety incident caused by miscommunication and outdated information. This story set the stage for the central theme: safety must always be at the forefront of healthcare design. The speakers emphasized that digital health technologies hold immense potential to improve patient experiences but can also introduce significant risks if not carefully managed.
Flora then introduced four key principles for designing with safety in mind:
- Design for the edges of the population: Focus on users with complex needs, not just the average user.
- Recognize the risks: Understand the serious consequences of missteps in healthcare delivery.
- Account for various care settings: Design for the entire patient journey, including home care and telemedicine.
- Support adoption from the start: Ensure that new solutions seamlessly integrate into existing workflows and do not overwhelm users.
I really appreciate Flora’s perspective on designing for the edges of the population. She highlights that individuals often face multiple challenges simultaneously, rather than just one. This is something I was not considering yet and is something I want to keep in mind as I develop my personas.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ku7Xane6w
AI was used to rephrase my thoughts.
