Creative Problem Solving: Design Thinking in Health and Social Care
Learn how design thinking can be applied in health and social care settings to drive innovation and approach challenges.
- Duration2 weeks
- Weekly study4 hours
Creative Problem Solving: Design Thinking in Health and Social Care
This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.
Explore how design thinking can be applied in health and social care
Healthcare systems face many issues: increasing demand, limited budgets, and major health challenges like ageing populations. New approaches are needed to ensure healthcare systems are working as well as they can.
Design thinking is an innovative approach that offers valuable strategies for creating ‘user-centred care’. On this course you will learn the core principles of design thinking including visualisation, iteration, and collaboration. You will explore how it can be applied to the healthcare sector, analysing recent case studies across a range of health and social care settings.
What topics will you cover?
- Core principles of design thinking (user-centred design, visualisation, iteration and collaboration)
- The design process, from understanding and reframing a problem, through testing and rapid prototyping, to launching a minimum viable product/service and continuous optimisation
- Introduction to key design methods and how to apply them
- Learning and discussion about design thinking as a highly relevant tool for problem solving in healthcare
- Analysis of recent case studies in a range of health and social care settings
- Regular opportunities for discussion of how design methods could be applied in learners’ working environments
Who is this accredited by?
The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Demonstrate methods by which complex problems can be reframed as opportunities
- Apply design thinking as a creative force to drive and foster innovation and change
- Interpret systemic, intractable challenges through the eyes of users (people, patients, staff)
- Explore the use of prototypes to test solutions with minimum cost and risk
- Identify opportunities for using design methods within your own health or social care environment
- Reflect on insights from successful design-led innovation projects in a range of health settings
Who is the course for?
This course is for healthcare and social care professionals, who are interested in making positive change.
The course is ideal for both clinical and non-clinical staff and features methods and tools that can be applied by managers, consultants, nurses, allied health professionals, and community care staff.
Who will you learn with?
I am a designer with a passion for products and services that make a difference to people’s lives. Specialising in healthcare I spend most of my time working with frontline staff in the NHS.
I’m a Consultant and Reader in Clinical Genetics. In addition to my clinical role, I am engaged in genomic research and am committed to improving medical education.
I’ve spent years working with social businesses to find new approaches in the face of increasing demand and limited budgets. I now spend my time designing health-related, user-led content.
Who developed the course?
St George's, University of London
St George’s is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research.
Howdu
Howdu is an independent design consultancy working in the public, private and voluntary sectors to design better business models, products and systems.
Learning on FutureLearn
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- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps, but you can complete them as quickly or slowly as you like
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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- Access to this course for 4 weeks
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