15 research outputs found
Developmental design for healthcare sustainability – Synthesis map 1.0
No full textThe synthesis map presented here has been developed from the designed outcomes of a workshop on systemic design for healthcare sustainability hosted by Jones and Arun Kumar (2021) at RSD10. The map is the second phase of an ongoing long-term project envisioned as a developmental design approach to engage with complex socio-technical problems of healthcare sustainability. The concept of developmental design builds on M. Q. Patton’s models of evaluation, emphasising design as a method of evaluation which is dynamic, introspective and reflective, and hence relevant to temporal systemic problems such as climate change and human health. The developmental design agenda has been elaborated as a presentation at RSD11 (Arun Kumar and Jones, 2022)
EcoDesign for medical devices: Barriers and opportunities to eco effective design of medical devices
No full textMedical devices have a significant negative impact on the environment. The waste generated from medical devices has environmental as well as cost implications. While single-use devices are responsible for rising quantities of medical waste and inventory costs for hospitals, reused devices tend to get involved in cases of reinfection and are more expensive to develop for manufacturers. Beyond the benefits and risks of single-use and reusable devices, the imperative for a less wasteful healthcare system in the United Kingdom lies in the Climate Change Act, which mandates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from the 1990 baseline. The design of these devices accounts for many of the environmental impacts that occur at the various stages of their lifecycles. Research in ecodesign for medical devices has so far produced more eco-efficient strategies which help progressively reduce the environmental impacts of devices. Based on the reports from the National Health Service, the current efforts at tackling the environmental impact of medical devices are not contributing to the reduction in emissions as required by the Climate Change Act. Eco-effective design is an alternative strategy for preventing waste and maximizing the value of resources used due to the rising pressures from regulatory authorities to reduce environmental impact, and the rising costs of pursuing a take-make-dispose culture, as has been observed in industries such as the automotive sector, electronics sector, textiles and consumer products sector. Yet its application in the medical device industry has not been significantly explored. Through this project, we identify the barriers and opportunities for eco-effective design of medical devices, and propose the principles of eco-effective design of medical devices, providing an approach for integrating eco-effective design strategies in the design process. Research Question: How can eco-effective strategies be integrated in the design of medical devices? 1. What are the barriers and opportunities to eco-effective design of medical devices? 2. How can these eco-effective strategies be integrated in the design process? This study explores the barriers and opportunities to eco-effective design for medical devices in two phases. The first phase reviews the regulatory, practical and epistemic barriers and opportunities to eco-effective design of medical devices through academic literature. The second phase of this research uses mapping of material flows as a method for identifying barriers and opportunities for cradle-to-cradle design of medical devices. Using the insights and understanding from these two phases, we developed the principles of eco-effective design for medical devices. The principles have been validated through interviews with field experts. This project investigates the regulatory, practical and epistemic barriers to eco-effective design in this industry, and identifies design principles to integrate eco-effective design strategies in the design process for medical devices
Regulating Environmental Impact of Medical Devices in the United Kingdom—A Scoping Review
No full textMedical devices are highly regulated to ensure safety and efficacy of the products and minimize the risk of harm to users and patients. However, the broader impacts of these devices on the environment have scarcely been questioned until recently. The United Kingdom National Health Service intends to achieve a “net zero” emissions service by 2040 and has identified specific targets to achieve through this process. However, medical device manufacturers do not see sufficient incentives to invest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions unless enforced by legislation. Furthermore, there is little evidence on the legislation required to reduce emissions from medical devices. This study addresses the relationship of medical device regulations and the environmental impact of the devices throughout their lifecycle. A scoping review was conducted on academic literature on the topic, followed by a critical review of the current medical device regulations and associated guidelines in the United Kingdom. The challenges to regulating environmental impact of medical devices were identified under seven themes. These challenges were contextualized with the National Health Service target of achieving zero emissions by 2040. The review indicates that current guidelines support single-use disposal of devices and equipment as the best approach to prevent pathogen transmission and landfilling and incineration are the most used waste management strategies. Manufacturers need to be guided and educated on reducing their emissions while ensuring the development of safe and effective devices
Towards Healthcare Sustainability: A developmental design approach
No full textWe report on systemic design methods and outcomes from a workshop and continuing design development for a research agenda to propose effective waste and environmental strategies in the healthcare industry. The recent interest in systems and expansion of systemic design research has produced new avenues for designers to contribute to complex sociotechnical problems in designerly ways. We posit an approach called developmental design, as in developmental evaluation, satisfying the requirements when a longer-term, high-impact design goal is necessary, and typical design outcomes cannot be produced within a normal schedule of design products, as in many strategic design contexts. Developmental design is pursued through learning iterations following an ongoing series of design and evaluation interventions. The goal of the current study was to contribute to managing design for critical sustainability issues within the complexity of healthcare as an industry. Three phases of design research are discussed in this programme. First, a virtual design workshop produced a problematic from the contributions of mixed-expertise designers, using a selected set of tools from the systemic design toolkit. Analysis and design interventions were developed by the authors. A current phase of the study is developing a synthesis map, translating research to a design artefact which projects the complexity of a wicked problem rather than distilling complexities to distinct action points. Thus, the artefact—the synthesis map—serves as a frame of reference for the third phase of research, which is research on targeted interventions which are contextually and temporally relevant to stakeholders in sustainable healthcare policy
How Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing could help to reduce procedural caused medical waste?
No full textThe Industry 4.0 revolution has already started to redefine the way we order, produce and consume ‘things’ today. By implementing advanced manufacturing methods, the medical industry can benefit from a faster and more accurate medical device and material management model to reduce procedure-caused medical redundancies, and reduce the material waste generated. Such change is also reflected in the way medical devices are made and the functionality they deliver. In the current medical industry, doctors and surgeons need to cope with the medical material redundancy issue in their daily routine of diagnosis and treatment. Such redundancies are vital to ensure the safety of patients. However, it also generates a huge amount of waste. Many products and materials become redundant only because they have been exposed to an infectious environment but were never used. The reuse of these products and materials is not preferred due to clinical challenges of safety and sterility. The use of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence has shown significant reduction of time and human effort required in industries like automobile manufacturing, however, their potential use in the medical industry is yet to be fully developed. This review paper examines the potential of implementing Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing methods in reducing the redundancies in medical procedures and hence reduce the amount of waste generated. The key factors identified in this paper will also help laying the groundwork on the existing medical device manufacturing and management model, which aim at a) reducing the inaccuracy of diagnostic data; b) preventing high-risks in the treatment procedures due to limited visualization and simulation support; and c) enhancing the adaptability and customization to specific process requirements
Encouraging DfE in Design Education to promote Sustainable Medical Product Design
No full textWithout disputing the importance of eco-design and sustainability in design education, there is little evidence of work specifically targeting sustainable medical solutions. Developing medical devices is complex, financially risky, requires large upfront investment and involves long lead times to market. In global design education today, the rigour and necessary focus on safety and efficacy of medical devices has meant that efforts to minimize environmental impact are often deprioritized or postponed, but increasingly emphasising on providing guidance to firms. This exploratory study aims at understanding how design education affects DfE implementation in the process of designing medical products. 54 healthcare and medical design programs were identified online and analysed based on the information they provide on their websites. The surveys and the following analysis of the data helped highlight some of the problems in design education and open the platform for future work in environmentally conscious design education
The Design Intervention Opportunities to Reduce Procedural-Caused Healthcare Waste Under the Industry 4.0 Context – A Scoping Review
No full textIdentification of unmet clinical needs in the field of nephrology – A modified bio-design approach
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