B1.4: Developing the Framework for CHIME Design Lab: Community-centred, Collaborative Health Innovation partnered with Medical Education

Purpose: Structurally-rooted health disparities exist for many different groups across Canada. Multi-faceted approaches are needed to achieve required changes at the upstream level – training new generations of physicians, as well as mid- and downstream levels – providing equitable access to, and ability to shape, care and services to alleviate disproportionate health burdens faced by marginalized populations. To help address this challenge, I have conceived of a collaborative problem-solving approach that combines medical education, arts, humanities, and design.

Description: After initial literature review, a thematic map was generated illustrating why design thinking in medicine and medical education – manifested in CHIME – is worth pursuing and piloting, and what are some of the contributory factors: 1. Why design thinking: it is a human-centred, needs-based, empathetic approach to problem-solving; it supports social accountability processes in medical schools; it is an approach for innovation and disrupting the status quo; it provides focus and momentum for achieving desired outputs. 2. What are some features of design thinking: collaborative, team-based approach; iterative, dynamic approach; action-oriented approach with prototype and test cycles. A preliminary, four-step “CHIME Design Lab Framework” of collaborative problem-solving was developed after synthesizing various design thinking models identified in the literature: 1. Understand user needs (identify the problem) 2. Create ideas for solutions (brainstorm and build prototypes) 3. Test solution prototypes 4. Evaluate prototypes These steps form an iterative cycle and integrate stages of diverging thinking (to consider as broadly as possible when generating new ideas) and converging thinking (to narrow down ideas for focus on developing implementation strategies).

Work in Progress and Next Steps: An initial pilot workshop will invite medical learners and educators to experience and share feedback on CHIME. The aim will be to generate a preliminary evaluation of the CHIME framework – usefulness, relevance, strengths and weaknesses versus the status quo approach to collaborative problem-solving.

*Reference list available upon request