Public innovation · Laboratorio de Gobierno · Chile · 2015

Primary care, starting from the people waiting in line.

Role
Founding team of Chile's Government Lab. Ran its first pilot, with the Ministry of Health.
Users
Patients and doctors in Chilean primary care.
Scope
Design methods and tools, research and a service prototype.
Status
Pilot run with the Ministry of Health in 2015. Nominated for the Helen Hamlyn Design Awards, London, 2015.

How might we create holistic and meaningful healthcare experiences?

The Lab

Laboratorio de Gobierno sits inside the Chilean government, to bring a citizen-centred approach to the design of public services.

As part of its first team, I developed its design methods and tools, then ran a case study project with the Ministry of Health to show how they work in practice. More about the Lab at lab.gob.cl.

ResearchUX/UIService DesignChile
A health worker at her desk, with Núcleo Activo open on the laptop behind her
A health worker, with Núcleo Activo on the laptop.
Patients waiting along the corridor of a public health centre
Waiting at a public health centre in Chile.

The problem

In some regions, people queue outside health centres from the early hours of the morning to see a doctor.

Getting primary care is hard for many Chileans. Waiting outside puts their health and their safety at risk.

What I did

As part of the Lab's first team, I developed its design methods and tools, then ran the project with the Ministry of Health that put them to work.

The patient's whole life, in one view.

What the pilot designed: Núcleo Activo, a digital platform that gives doctors a 360° picture of the person in front of them.

The patient Medical history Lifestyle Livingconditions Services nearby Social prescribing e.g. community sport

How it works

Know the person, then treat them.

The doctor sees the patient's medical history next to their lifestyle, their living conditions and the services in their neighbourhood. With that, diagnosis gets more accurate and treatment fits the person's real life.

It also makes social prescribing possible: recommending a local service or activity, like community sport, as part of the treatment. Doctors, patients and their community end up connected.

The Núcleo Activo prototype on a laptop: a patient profile with conditions, medication, family, a map of nearby services and the last consultation
The Núcleo Activo prototype, with a persona instead of a real patient.
Hands holding a tablet with Núcleo Activo, showing the patient's profile and a map of other services nearby
The same profile on a tablet, with other services nearby on the map.
The team mapping the service on a long sheet of paper with sticky notes
Mapping the service with the team.
A health worker and a patient talking at a desk, the prototype on screen
From the pilot with the Ministry of Health.

Recognition

Núcleo Activo was nominated for the Helen Hamlyn Design Awards, London, 2015.

Related work

Policy Lab, UK Cabinet Office.

Human centred policy making →

The project film