DOCSF22: Digital (Orthopaedic) Transformation: Human-Centered Design and System Thinking in Health Care

In this episode, Kenny O'Neill, partner, and principal of Digital Strategy, Transformation, and Innovation at EY Global, talks about human-centered design, how it then evolves into systems thinking, and its applicability.

Kenny starts by talking about his experience as a pilot and the similarities between what he sees in healthcare and a plane cockpit when it comes to information being displayed to users. He then explains how human-centered design is building things for specific users, integrating the information into the system so that it can work effectively for the said user. This type of design requires engaging and empathizing with them, prototyping continuously, and always aiming toward extreme users to get the best possible performance for everyone. 

Kenny goes into systems thinking at scale within healthcare. He argues it's about thinking about how human-centric design and technology connect to the broader, interconnected system. It’s innovating in the digital space and using platforms to aggregate and translate data that can better enable AI, machine learning, and robotics. He also speaks of taking behavioral and social ecosystems into account and the use of digital hospital practices, consultations, and primary care from smart homes. Kenny then foresees 15 years forward to envision healthcare’s future. He predicts out-of-hospital precision medicine facilities, more digital tools integrated into hospitals, and different bundled or episodic payment models.

Listen to Kenny O’Neill talk about human-centered design in the future of healthcare. Learn about how it can evolve into systems thinking and how it can be applied for the better!