Creating inclusive and seamless health and welfare

To focus our efforts and fulfil our purpose of crafting lovable futures, we have summarised into three main missions the challenges where we believe we can make the most positive impact. One of them is 'Inclusive and seamless health and welfare.' With a growing and ageing population and new technology available, there are many challenges and opportunities to approach. In this article, we take a closer look at what they are and how we believe we can contribute.

A changing population requires a different approach

The population is growing and ageing; we get more complicated diseases, putting pressure on the health and welfare system. To maintain the welfare state as we know it, health and welfare need to innovate and create more efficient and better ways to provide services. We need to make use of new and innovative technology where it gives the most meaning and effect. But most of all, we need to focus on, understand and involve the people; patients, their relatives, health care workers, and leaders. They are the key to sustainable change.

Holistic service modelling through design-driven innovation

Responsibilities are moving down the value chain, with pharmacies offering services that we used to have to go to the GP or patients doing self-assessment via digital tools. The technological shift, with digital patient records, mobile work surfaces, and e-consultations, offers opportunities to follow up patients at home instead of in a hospital. This medical and technological development makes it possible to move the 'Point of care' to the home, creating exciting opportunities for decentralising health services.

Creating new ways of delivering services to the patients requires a new way of organising and collaborating. We’ll need new work- and information flows, different IT structures, new incentives systems, and new ways to distribute responsibilities. To shape tomorrow's health and welfare services, we need a holistic approach to working with and solving all these issues. Transitions demand courageous leadership and structural and cultural changes where people are the key to success. As designers, we are experts in facilitating design-driven innovation processes to develop holistic service models.

“To innovate for the future of Norwegian health and welfare systems, we need to ensure a holistic view of benefit, value, and effect. We need leaders that dare not only to think differently but who are willing to act differently."

Sigrun Vik, Head of Health, EGGS Design

When asked what a lovable future means to them, this is what people in EGGS answered.

Put data to use to create a better patient experience

To solve complex challenges in health and welfare, we need to utilize all the existing health data to influence the health behaviour of each individual. We also need it to create better decision-making tools for health authorities, healthcare leaders, health care workers, and the patients and their relatives. If harnessed and used correctly, we can use data to design a proactive system that can maximise resources and services and work more effectively with prevention. We, designers and creative technologists can play an essential role in creating the right data-enabled health innovations through user insight, conceptualisation, prototyping, and testing.

"We want to be part of creating a future where the potential of health data is fully utilized. It has a huge future potential if done right."

Sigrun Vik, Head of Health, EGGS Design

Digitalisation and cross-sector collaboration in welfare services

Scandinavian public welfare is organised into different sectors, such as health, education, transportation, etc. This works fine as a way of organising the public system. But for the citizens using the services provided, it’s not seamless, as people and their lives aren’t organised into sectors. It’s challenging to deliver holistic and seamless user experiences with this silo-based organisational structure. Tackling departmentalisation and people's issues falling between chairs is essential to create sustainable and tangible social impact.

Solving a complex and multi-stakeholder problem like this requires a deep understanding of citizen needs, public and private players, partnership building, insight into legislation, frameworks, and co-creation methodologies.

Another current topic in the public sector where the creative industries can contribute is digitalisation. Systems that can safely exchange information across sectors are essential enablers of individually tailored user-centric and efficient service delivery. Also, building a digital infrastructure that allows for future development of health services is a prerequisite to unlock the potential that lies within new technology.

Do you want to learn more about the health- and public service projects we have worked on? Follow the links to read related case stories and articles, or get in touch with us! I'm all ears and eager to discuss problems and possible solutions and tell you more about our mission.