Applying Design Thinking to Enhance Healthcare Accessibility and Innovation: A Case Study on DoctorOnCall
" Applying Design Thinking to Enhance Healthcare Accessibility and Innovation: A Case Study on DoctorOnCall "
Mohammed Ashraf Hasanain(TP078045)
Exploring the Foundations of DoctorOnCall:-
The company is one of the first online healthcare service providers with its base in the South East Asia country of Malaysia; it goes by the name of DoctorOnCall. The constantly advancing field of health care is met by DoctorOnCall as an intermediary between patients and doctors by offering consultation, medication, and other health-related services. Notably, this platform is most helpful in those areas that occasionally have or lack nearby health centers.
This row relates to the “What Is” stage of Design Thinking as this step is based on the identification of the current situation. The primary problem for DoctorOnCall is how to deliver the idea of easily accessible, cost-effective, and prompt healthcare services. This way, through interviews or surveys or any data that is collected, we can get to see issues like expensive health care, long hours of waiting, and shortage of specialists in rural health centers among others.
To solve these problems, DoctorOnCall provides an online consultation service since it takes time and is cheaper. It also features an online pharmacy service that no patient wants to miss; the pharmacy assures people of getting their medicines on time. The platform’s design is quite friendly, and patients with easy access can easily find what they are looking for. Knowledge about these base components is vital in creating solutions that can change society for the better.
Abdel Rahman Ashraf Hasanain(TP077708)
Envisioning Future Innovations with DoctorOnCall:-
During the What If section of the Design Thinking model, we state potential innovations and enhancements. In the case of DoctorOnCall, this stage entails going through new inventions and how the platform can expand the variety of services it provides. Imagine if the idea implemented in DoctorOnCall can include the use of Intelligent Diagnostics to help the doctors in consultation to be even more accurate? What if the platform offers more services closer to the demand of the people for easy access to mental health services?
Another nice feature is the application of wearable technology. Integration of data from the fitness trackers and the health monitoring devices would enable DoctorOnCall to prescribe a more appropriate healthcare management platform and recommend the measures that could be taken in order to avoid the progression of the diseases. This could enable patients to begin to take his/her private roles towards the management of their condition.
In addition, the decentralization of relations with clinics and hospitals at the local level might guarantee the proper referral and continuation of care to create a functioning healthcare network. Such scenarios help in thinking out of the box uniquely and define what is possible in the case of DoctorOnCall which helps all Malaysians to have better access to healthcare services.
Adel Zeinab(TP078282)
The "What Works" stage focuses on testing and implementing practical solutions proper. For DoctorOnCall, this would be about piloting the most promising ideas of previous stages in order to assess their feasibility and efficiency. AI multilingual chatbot is another major focal point for implementation. Preliminary testing could be conducted on a small user group so as to tune the chatbot for accuracy and user-friendliness before wider implementation. Virtual reality consultations could be piloted among a small group of specialists and patients to help get feedback on user experience and technological integration. From this pilot, one could point out potential resulting problems and thus work on areas needing improvement for smooth implementation.
Subscription-based wellness programs can be offered for a short period of time to test the interest and engagement of the user. Such users' feedback on tailoring the programs will fall into the invaluable category, helping them make more suited programs.
The practical implementation of these can make DoctorOnCall excite with its innovated solutions to be effective and at the same time, also sustainable. This forms an important step towards turning visionary ideas into tangible benefits for users to utilize in the betterment of healthcare overall.(Chen, 2020)
Mohammad Abdelrahman(TP073489)
Innovative Breakthroughs with DoctorOnCall:-
That is why the “What Wow” stage in the Design Thinking process is all about finding those growth solutions that are going to that excite and blow your mind. So, for the DoctorOnCall several options can be highlighted. One of such concepts is the creation of an AI chatbot that offers the first consultation on the necessary medication and translates the content of the site into the desired language. Including this feature could prove to be very beneficial in improving the user experience and in making the site easier to navigate especially in the international aspect where users would be coming from different parts of the world where English may not be their primary language.
Another possibility of a “wow” factor could be the integration of virtual reality consultation. This would enhance the understanding and interaction from the patients’ side through making them feel more related to their healthcare givers. Just think about the possibilities of doing a virtual tour of a particular specialist’s clinic, or even hospital department, before patients are referred; hence, helping to minimize patients’ level of stress and discomfort.
Also, DoctorOnCall could introduce paid specialized services such as monthly check-up, the diet plan for losing or gaining weight, etc. These programs would not only address the short-term health issues but as well would heighten the day-to-day well-being of the users, thus making healthcare an ongoing process of users’ lives. Such ideas have the possibilities to be the major drivers as to what makes DoctorOnCall unique and make a revolutionary change in the healthcare industry. (Maheu,2020)
Hana Okamura(TP074493)
Transforming Healthcare with DoctorOnCall:-
Therefore, when summing up the analysis of the DoctorOnCall platform based on the Design Thinking approach, it can be stated that this web application may become a game-changer in the Malaysian healthcare system. In the “What Is” stage, DoctorOnCall has to comprehend the existing difficulties and, thus, move to the “What If” stage to consider possible opportunities for further development, proceed with the “What Wow” stage to discover new opportunities for creating value for patients, and finally, establish the “What Works” stage to select actual executions for DoctorsOnCall.
The outcomes of such endeavours are as follows. It was established that patients like increase in access, reduction in cost and improved convenience. Patients have improved access to healthcare services since the providers have wider coverage and the services offered are flexible. The uses of AI, VR and thus the incorporation of DoctorOnCall personalized wellness program provide the organization with a competitive edge and provide as an example for the appropriate and progressive healthcare organization.
This case proves that the huge shift for organisation called DoctorOnCall can be made by following the framework called Design Thinking. Wise and maintaining its user-oriented approach as well as openness to innovations, DoctorOnCall is ready to bring a positive change to the local healthcare system and enhance the quality of lives of tens of thousands of Malaysians. (Koh, 2020)
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