Innovation by Design: Closing the Human-centered Design Skills Gap Among Front-line Nurses.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical and Health Sciences
• Engineering and Technology

Background:

• Formal training in human-centered design (HCD) is limited for nurses and clinicians, despite their frequent engagement in problem-solving.
• Integrating HCD principles can cultivate intrapreneurship and drive innovation within healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an 8-hour human-centered design (HCD) workshop on nurses' and other clinicians' creative self-efficacy (CSE).
• To evaluate the workshop's influence on psychological empowerment (PE) and traits of design thinkers (TDT) among healthcare professionals.
• To explore the potential of HCD training in fostering innovation competencies within the healthcare workforce.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study involving a single group of participants.
• Participants included nurses and clinicians from the VA Healthcare System.
• Pre- and post-workshop surveys measured CSE, PE, and TDT, supplemented by qualitative reflections.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were observed in creative self-efficacy (CSE) (d=1.23), psychological empowerment (PE) (d=0.43), and traits of design thinkers (TDT) (d=0.65) among the 27 participants.
• Qualitative analysis revealed key themes of enhanced collaboration and experiential learning.
• Participants expressed a strong desire for ongoing support to sustain innovation efforts.

Conclusions:

• The HCD workshop effectively enhanced nurses' innovation competencies and empowered them to initiate and lead system improvements.
• Strategic collaborations between healthcare systems and universities can bridge educational gaps in HCD.
• Fostering a culture of intrapreneurship through targeted training is crucial for healthcare innovation.