Exploring Services’ patient-centredness. Design Challenges for a Future Design Agenda

Abstract

The healthcare system had important transformations, shifting from a public sphere to a wider ecosystem in which private, public and community ser-vices are intertwined. Furthermore, social, environmental and technological challenges have an impact at micro-and macro-levels, challenging health pro-fessionals, organisations, and institutions to foster innovation. New solutions and scenarios are emerging in response to the emergent healthcare and well-being challenges which include a wider range of collaborative processes aimed at making systems more citizen-centric. The discussion on person-centred does not find a univocal definition and the possible outcomes of the collaborative process are manifold. These concern the typology of artefacts such as ser-vice touchpoints, software or technological components that support the service delivery as well as the collaborative tools and practices that support the solu-tion development. This chapter proposes a way to approach the study of the patient-centred services through a systemic lens and describes three exemplar cases developed in Italy. The cases contribute to outline how patient-centredness concerns experimental solutions, deployable on existing service layers, deriving from a multi-stakeholder agency, using digitalisation to expand relationships between individuals, organisations and territories, generating knowledge and culture in the care system beyond the solution. Based on a systemic perspec-tive characterising patient-centred services, some reflections on future service design research issues are outlined.