Use of Creative Frameworks in Health Care to Solve Data and Information Problems: Scoping Review

Digitization is vital for data management, especially in health care. However, problems still hinder health care stakeholders in their daily work while collecting, processing, and providing health data or information. Data are missing, incorrect, cannot be collected, or information is inadequately presented. These problems can be seen as data or information problems. A proven way to elicit requirements for (software) systems is by using creative frameworks (eg, user-centered design, design thinking, lean UX [user experience], or service design) or creative methods (eg, mind mapping, storyboarding, 6 thinking hats, or interaction room). However, to what extent they are used to solve data or information-related problems in health care is unclear.

The primary objective of this scoping review is to investigate the use of creative frameworks in addressing data and information problems in health care.

Following JBI guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR framework, this paper analyzes selected papers, answering whether creative frameworks addressed health care data or information problems. Focusing on data problems (elicitation or collection, processing) and information problems (provision or visualization), the review examined German and English papers published between 2018 and 2022 using keywords related to "data," "design," and "user-centered." The database SCOPUS was used.

Of the 898 query results, only 23 papers described a data or information problem and a creative method to solve it. These were included in the follow-up analysis and divided into different problem categories: data collection (n=7), data processing (n=1), information visualization (n=11), and mixed problems meaning data and information problem present (n=4). The analysis showed that most identified problems fall into the information visualization category. This could indicate that creative frameworks are particularly suitable for solving information or visualization problems and less for other, more abstract areas such as data problems. The results also showed that most researchers applied a creative framework after they knew what specific (data or information) problem they had (n=21). Only a minority chose a creative framework to identify a problem and realize it was a data or information problem (n=2). In response to these findings, the paper discusses the need for a new approach that addresses health care data and information challenges by promoting collaboration, iterative feedback, and user-centered development.

Although the potential of creative frameworks is undisputed, applying these in solving data and information problems is a minority. To harness this potential, a suitable method needs to be developed to support health care system stakeholders. This method could be the User-Centered Data Approach.