From clinical challenges to innovation: an idea finding approach for advancing healthcare

The workload in European healthcare is increasing due to demographic changes, as fewer employees must care for an ever-growing number of patients. Solutions that ease staff stress are needed, but successful development and integration require a thorough understanding of current challenges. Healthcare professionals identify opportunities to enhance patient care and processes, yet often lack the necessary knowledge and resources to implement their ideas. Engineers and management possess these resources but frequently lack insight into daily clinical struggles.

This article presents a set of methods for analyzing clinical processes and identifying areas that need optimization from a non-medical perspective. The methods include observation, needs finding, and a system to prioritize and group identified needs.

Applied at a German university hospital, they produce a comprehensive list of needs that can inspire new projects. Using this methodology, we identify opportunities for improvement in documentation, purchasing, communication, information access, material preparation, and physical workload.

The proposed methodology allows needs to be connected to actionable solutions. It provides a holistic overview, allowing for a comprehensive understanding, followed by a condensation of the issues that streamlines the generation of new topics and ideas.