In solving systemic design challenges designers co-create with professionals from various fields. In the context of innovation in healthcare practices, this study investigates design abilities that healthcare professionals develop by participating in co-design projects. We conducted a mixed-methods research approach consisting of five retrospective interviews with healthcare researchers involved in co-design projects, and a multiple case study (three cases) on the collaboration between design researchers and healthcare professionals. The three cases all aimed at designing tools for healthcare innovation. The cases differ in the healthcare context and the professionals involved: Paediatric physical therapists in the treatment of babies (0-2 years), supervisors (e.g. in assisted living) of people with intellectual disabilities, and academic researchers in social sciences and design research developing e-health applications for elderly people with early stages of dementia. Literature states that healthcare professionals may be competent in specific abilities related to design, but they are not trained to mode-shift and to use two different ways of working for creativity. We found that the healthcare professionals involved in co-design projects developed design ability over time, and that the research setting was supportive. Based on design abilities that the five healthcare researchers explicated in the interviews as having adopted, we suggest eight mode-shift practices related to design, which we investigated in the cases. Findings of the case-study show that two mode-shift practices related to design and innovation are difficult to adopt for healthcare professionals: Generate and synthesize; and keeping track on overview and details. These two design abilities require more training and/or experience than the other six design abilities that ran smoothly in the cases, if healthcare professionals were facilitated in the process. Healthcare professionals specifically relate two of these practices to design: Collaboration and slow down – sprint. This study discusses these findings by referring to an analogy of kayaking on a wild water river: The collaboration aspect of switching between working in a group and by yourself, like a group of kayakers who collaborate in going down stream a river but peddle by themselves in their own boats; the slowdown and sprint aspect, like kayakers who oversee the river in turning waters and sprint in between, rather than go with the flow in a raft.
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In solving systemic design challenges, designers co-create with professionals from various fields. In the context of innovation in healthcare practices, this study investigates design abilities that healthcare professionals develop by participating in co-design projects. We conducted a mixed-methods research approach consisting of five retrospective interviews with healthcare researchers involved in co-design projects, and a multiple case study (three cases) on the collaboration between design researchers and healthcare professionals. The three cases all aimed at designing tools for healthcare innovation. The cases differ in healthcare context and the professionals involved: Paediatric physical therapists in the treatment of babies (0-2 years), social workers and healthcare professionals in long-term care for people living with disabilities, and academic researchers in social behavioural sciences and design research developing e-health applications for elderly people with early stages of dementia.
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Despite the increased use of activity trackers, little is known about how they can be used in healthcare settings. This study aimed to support healthcare professionals and patients with embedding an activity tracker in the daily clinical practice of a specialized mental healthcare center and gaining knowledge about the implementation process. An action research design was used to let healthcare professionals and patients learn about how and when they can use an activity tracker. Data collection was performed in the specialized center with audio recordings of conversations during therapy, reflection sessions with the therapists, and semi-structured interviews with the patients. Analyses were performed by directed content analyses. Twenty-eight conversations during therapy, four reflection sessions, and eleven interviews were recorded. Both healthcare professionals and patients were positive about the use of activity trackers and experienced it as an added value. Therapists formulated exclusion criteria for patients, a flowchart on when to use the activity tracker, defined goals, and guidance on how to discuss (the data of) the activity tracker. The action research approach was helpful to allow therapists to learn and reflect with each other and embed the activity trackers into their clinical practice at a specialized mental healthcare center.
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Developing a framework that integrates Advanced Language Models into the qualitative research process.Qualitative research, vital for understanding complex phenomena, is often limited by labour-intensive data collection, transcription, and analysis processes. This hinders scalability, accessibility, and efficiency in both academic and industry contexts. As a result, insights are often delayed or incomplete, impacting decision-making, policy development, and innovation. The lack of tools to enhance accuracy and reduce human error exacerbates these challenges, particularly for projects requiring large datasets or quick iterations. Addressing these inefficiencies through AI-driven solutions like AIDA can empower researchers, enhance outcomes, and make qualitative research more inclusive, impactful, and efficient.The AIDA project enhances qualitative research by integrating AI technologies to streamline transcription, coding, and analysis processes. This innovation enables researchers to analyse larger datasets with greater efficiency and accuracy, providing faster and more comprehensive insights. By reducing manual effort and human error, AIDA empowers organisations to make informed decisions and implement evidence-based policies more effectively. Its scalability supports diverse societal and industry applications, from healthcare to market research, fostering innovation and addressing complex challenges. Ultimately, AIDA contributes to improving research quality, accessibility, and societal relevance, driving advancements across multiple sectors.
Wat dragen creatieve onderzoeksmethodes bij aan vernieuwing binnen de zorg? We onderzoeken dit binnen tien projecten van het Create Health-programma van ZonMw. In deze projecten wordt kennis ontwikkeld over de toegevoegde waarde van creatieve manieren van werken bij e-health innovatie. Informatie over de onderzoeksresultaten is te vinden op de website: husite.nl/creatieve-onderzoeksmethodes en het artikel: CHIWaWA maakt samenwerking in create-health onderzoek inzichtelijk | Hogeschool Utrecht (hu.nl)Doel Het Create Health programma heeft tot doel om bij te dragen aan maatschappelijke uitdagingen rondom gezond en actief ouder worden. CHIWaWA werkt daarbij toe naar een conceptueel model dat manieren van werken in kaart brengt in create health projecten – gekoppeld aan theorie over boundary crossing en research impact – met betrekking tot projectuitkomsten en kennis-, persoonlijke-, en systeemontwikkeling van betrokken actoren. Resultaten onderzoek Kennis die zowel online als offline te raadplegen is, in een boek, in wetenschappelijke artikelen en op een website. Deze kennis bevat: Inzicht in kansen om impact van e-health innovatie in ‘create health’-samenwerking te vergroten; Projectnarratieven met ‘best practices’ voor interdisciplinaire samenwerking waarbij onderzoekers, creatieve industrie en zorgprofessionals betrokken zijn; Guidelines voor ontwikkelaars van e-health applicaties m.b.t. samenwerking met de creatieve industrie; Guidelines voor beleidsmakers m.b.t. het stimuleren van samenwerking tussen zorg en creatieve industrie en het gebruik van creatieve manieren van werken om onderzoek naar de praktijk te krijgen; Aanpak Vanuit een service-dominant logic perspectief wordt bekeken hoe toegepaste kennis en skills worden gedeeld tussen actoren die betrokken zijn bij de verschillende ‘create health’-projecten, wat de meerwaarde daarvan is en wat actoren van die uitwisseling – als proces – leren. De focus ligt op co-creatie van waarde, die door samenwerking en uitwisseling tot stand komt. Door middel van procesonderzoek wordt er toegewerkt naar bijdragen aan theorieontwikkeling op het gebied van boundary crossing en contribution mapping. Resultaten Eindpublicatie: Create Health: Samenwerking tussen zorg, wetenschap en creatieve industrie (2023) Boek: Create Ways of Working. Insights from ten ehealth Innovation research projects (2022) Website www.creatieveonderzoeksmethodes.nl (2022) Bijdragen aan conferenties en symposia Co-design in de anderhalvemetermaatschappij (whitepaper), Dutch Design Week 2020. Download de presentatieslides. Collaborating in complexity. Strategies for interdisciplinary collaboration n design work, Design4Health conference 2020 Grounding Practices. How researchers ground their work in create-health collaborations for designing e-health solutions, Design4Health conference 2020 Seven ways to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in research involving healthcare and creative research disciplines, DementiaLab conference 2019 Posterpresentatie: Health x Design, DementiaLab conference 2019 Meer informatie over het Create Health programma Het ZonMw programma Create Health heeft als doel om bij te dragen aan de maatschappelijke uitdaging rondom gezond en actief ouder worden. Binnen het programma worden activiteiten uitgezet waarbij de samenwerking tussen de creatieve industrie en zorg en welzijn voorop staat. Het gaat hierbij om publiek-private samenwerking (PPS).
Dutch society faces major future challenges putting populations’ health and wellbeing at risk. An ageing population, increase of chronic diseases, multimorbidity and loneliness lead to more complex healthcare demands and needs and costs are increasing rapidly. Urban areas like Amsterdam have to meet specific challenges of a growing and super divers population often with a migration background. The bachelor programs and the relating research groups of social work and occupational therapy at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences innovate their curricula and practice-oriented research by multidisciplinary and cross-domain approaches. Their Centres of Expertise foster interprofessional research and educational innovation on the topics of healthy ageing, participation, daily occupations, positive health, proximity, community connectedness and urban innovation in a social context. By focusing on senior citizens’ lives and by organizing care in peoples own living environment. Together with their networks, this project aims to develop an innovative health promotion program and contribute to the government missions to promote a healthy and inclusive society. Collaboration with stakeholders in practice based on their urgent needs has priority in the context of increasing responsibilities of local governments and communities. Moreover, the government has recently defined social base as being the combination of citizen initiatives, volunteer organizations , caregivers support, professional organizations and support of vulnerable groups. Kraktie Foundations is a community based ethno-cultural organization in south east Amsterdam that seeks to research and expand their informal services to connect with and build with professional care organizations. Their aim coincides with this project proposal: promoting health and wellbeing of senior citizens by combining intervention, participatory research and educational perspectives from social work, occupational therapy and hidden voluntary social work. With a boundary crossing innovation of participatory health research, education and Kraktie’s work in the community we co-create, change and innovate towards sustainable interventions with impact.
