The aim of the Design and Technology theme is to develop and test new designs and technologies that have the potential to enhance patient safety and quality of care. Through a diverse but integrated programme of research and development, we aim to close the gap between the theory and practice of using design-led thinking and technological innovation to reduce avoidable medical errors using both incremental and disruptive technologies.
There are two related research themes:
1. Design-led innovation in patient safety.
2. Information technology for patient safety.
Central to the success of this theme has been the launch of the HELIX Centre – a joint collaboration between the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. HELIX is the first centre of its kind in Europe and brings together a team of designers, technologists and clinicians within a unique and high profile studio at St Mary’s Hospital.
Translational examples
Hark
Hark is a clinical task management platform that organises who needs to what, where and when across all aspects of hospital life. Hark works across smartphone and tablet devices and is built on four years of research and development (Johnston et al., AnnSurg 2014, Jonston et al., AnnSurg 2015) supported by Imperial PSTRC and in collaboration with HELIX. Hark also collects a stream of data that has the potential to transform the way healthcare is delivered, saving time, money paperwork and ultimately lives.
Hark has undergone successful pilot testing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, where significant improvements were found (Patel et al., JMIR 2016). Hark was acquired by Google (Alphabet) in April 2016, which is investing in its scale up across several NHS organisations and is now a key element for the Google DeepMind Health programme. See HARK website for more information.
IDEAS Prescription Charts
Supported by the Cabinet Office and Department of Health we set out to redesign the inpatient prescription chart that is used in nearly every hospital in the NHS. Our designers used cutting-edge insights from the behavioural sciences alongside their design skills to deliver a chart that has been shown in a published study to have a dramatic impact on prescribing behaviours. This work has featured in a Radio 4 programme as well as in The Times newspaper.
Projects
Current
Completed
