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Why Design Thinking Matters in Healthcare

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Design Thinking in Healthcare

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Abstract

This chapter introduces reader to the basics of the design thinking process from empathy to testing designed products and services. It discusses issues from the perspective of healthcare. Design thinking offers a framework and methods for complex problem solving applied widely by various disciplines. It is traditionally associated with the business, innovation, and customer-oriented development of products and services, where the goal is to gain success, sustainability, and customer benefit. Design thinking has received increasing attention also in healthcare, where patients’ needs and experiences should be viewed as sources of innovation. Aging population, complex health challenges, financial pressures, shortage of healthcare staff, and the demand for patient-centered approach in healthcare provide the basis for applying design thinking to develop better healthcare services and health technology solutions. Design thinking can be viewed as a systematic innovation and iterative process that puts emphasis into deep empathy for end-user perceptions, needs, and challenges.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Anni Pakarinen

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  1. Anni Pakarinen
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Correspondence to Anni Pakarinen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Anni Pakarinen

  2. SPARK Finland, Turku, Finland

    Thomas Lemström

  3. Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Eeva Rainio

  4. Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Eriikka Siirala

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Pakarinen, A. (2023). Why Design Thinking Matters in Healthcare. In: Pakarinen, A., Lemström, T., Rainio, E., Siirala, E. (eds) Design Thinking in Healthcare. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24510-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24510-7_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-24509-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-24510-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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