Student Academy: A Pilot Design Thinking Workshop to Teach Community Medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Healthcare Innovation

Background:

• Social determinants of health significantly influence patient outcomes.
• Healthcare professionals often lack systemic approaches to address social determinants of health.
• There is a need for innovative educational strategies to equip future clinicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot a Design Thinking workshop for medical and physician assistant students.
• To enhance understanding of health-related social needs and person-centered solution design.
• To assess the perceived utility and anticipated application of Design Thinking in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A Design Thinking workshop was created and delivered to 53 students.
• A post-workshop questionnaire assessed student learning and future application intentions.
• Quantitative data from 69.8% of participants were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Nearly 80% of students understood the impact of context on clinical outcomes and patient-centered design.
• Only 50% of respondents anticipated using Design Thinking methods in their future clinical work.
• The workshop effectively conveyed concepts but faced challenges in promoting practical adoption.

Conclusions:

• Design Thinking workshops can improve medical students' understanding of social determinants of health.
• Bridging the gap between workshop learning and practical clinical application of Design Thinking requires further investigation.
• More effective methods are needed to demonstrate the real-world utility of Design Thinking in healthcare settings.