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The confluence of seasonal influenza and the surge of COVID-19 cases creates a “wicked problem” for the healthcare system. Addressing this challenge with the known methods of quality improvement will yield results; however, without the human-centered methodology of design thinking, we risk excluding patients and providers from the solution. In response, we launched a six-week design sprint with teams from three continents focusing on the “Twindemic.”
Wicked Problems require Design Thinking
Defined by Horst Rittel, a UC Berkeley professor, wicked problems are ill-formulated social system problems, where the information is confusing among many stakeholders with conflicting values, and the ramifications to the whole system are thoroughly confusing.
The “Twindemic” is a Wicked Problem
COVID19 washed away the foundation of our social, economic, and political orders. With impacts on this scale, it is difficult to fully appreciate its scale. Thus, we broke the system into smaller pieces:
Within each area of focus, we found contradictory statements and false information, amplified by poor health literacy among vulnerable populations. One opportunity statement speaks to this fact:
“For low-income families who don’t have stable internet access, there must be a better way to disseminate information.”
On the other hand:
“For well-educated people who have access to the big picture of pharmaceutical battles/greed, there must be a better way to have a transparent process.”
Beyond individuals, hospitals are facing similar uncertainty:
“For healthcare officials who track the pandemic, there must be a better way to systematically identify community cases of influenza & COVID.”
And:
“For researchers assessing the impact of COVID/Influenza co-infection, there must be a better way to identify and recruit appropriate individuals.”
This is only Week One of our six-week “Twindemic” Design Sprint.
This coming week, participants are conducting desk research into their opportunity statements, seeking first-person experiences by listening to podcast interviews, watching YouTube patient testimonial videos, and listening to clinicians’ stories from the front lines.
We are still accepting passionate participants. Be a part of a holistic team-work, work with professionals from different backgrounds and expertise around the globe, design breakthrough solutions to make an impact for the Twindemic. Will you join us?
COVID-19 cases continue to rise, furthering the “wicked problem” facing the healthcare system. The economic inequality in America’s social system is exacerbating the crisis as Black, Latino, and Native American people are hospitalized at over four times the rate of white patients. Policies lead by politics, not science, led some US states to take a hands-off approach to COVID, resulting in the highest death rates in the world. The ramifications of this piecemeal approach is a holiday season under lockdown, separated families, and further deaths.
In the second week of our design sprint, we focused on clustering our desk research and preparing for user interviews.
Access to Care
Education and Awareness
This week, our participants conduct their user interviews. We’re curious if fear is the prevailing emotion or if there are signs of hope? What is your opinion?
Looking Ahead to our Next Sprint.
If you were not able to join this sprint, fear not! Our next sprint is a one-day-only, two-hour event on Thanksgiving Day! The goal is reimagining “community” as we’re separated from loved ones through four lenses:
We remember.
High school gyms turned into temporary hospitals. Loved ones dying without family by their side. Life events canceled without notice. Fear, isolation, uncertainty.
Together we have conquered so many emotional and physical feats in 2020. But this will be the first time the COVID-19 pandemic will meet another widespread, pernicious threat: influenza.
The healthcare system will face a surge of both influenza and COVID-19 cases. And things could get much worse than they’ve been.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Robert Redfield, warns us about this upcoming flu season: “this could be the worst fall from a public health perspective,” and he continues, “I’ve said if there’s one thing we all can do besides the importance of wearing a mask, social distancing, hand washing, and be smart about gatherings– that basically ultimately prepare ourselves, for the fall, to get the flu vaccine.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu can result in serious illness, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. In 2018-2019, CDC estimated that vaccination prevented 4.4M flu cases and 58,000 hospitalizations in the US.
The common excuses for not getting a flu shot signifies an underlying orthodoxy that people believe “I am healthy, and it has been fine so far.”
This season getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever to protect yourself and to mitigate the spread of flu to high-risk individuals:
Join a team to share our unique experiences, ideas, and expertise to better equip each other for the Twindemic, practice design thinking, and explore “how might we increase flu vaccination rates during this critical time?”
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/coronavirus-in-context/video/robert-redfield
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-1819estimates.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/protect-your-health.html
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm
