Participatory design in telehealth research: Practical case examples

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Organizational Science

Background:

• Participatory Design (PD) originated in computer science to empower workers through involvement in technology design.
• PD in health research demonstrates potential for changing clinical practice and implementing novel approaches.
• Effective PD requires genuine user involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize case studies of Participatory Design (PD) application in telehealth research.
• To describe how PD facilitates organizational changes, new perspectives, and communication methods in health sciences.
• To explain the relevance and suitability of PD for health science research and provide recommendations for telehealth studies.

Main Methods:

• Review and summarization of seven case studies involving PD in telehealth research.
• Analysis of how PD was applied to promote organizational changes supported by health information and communications technology.

Main Results:

• All presented case studies successfully implemented organizational changes at various levels (international to local).
• PD facilitated the adoption of health information and communications technology for organizational transformation.
• PD fostered mutual learning and co-creation, leading to a deeper understanding and new knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Participatory Design (PD) is a relevant and suitable research design for health sciences, particularly in telehealth.
• PD effectively drives organizational change by involving all stakeholders and promoting collaboration.
• Learning from users through PD enhances understanding and knowledge emergence in health research.