Design Thinking in Healthcare UNMC Guideline (DTHUNmC)

Increased use of Design Thinking as an innovative problem-solving technique has led to a spike in the number of disciplines drawn to its common characteristics of collaboration, empathy, and quick testing of ideas. Published reports of these experiences are scattered and variable in reporting structure and content. The disjointed format of articles featuring Design Thinking makes it difficult to discern the quality of the described interventions and to determine the relatability or usability of the shared information. After a search of common databases, the authors identified 870 references, which were narrowed to 255 that fit the criteria of "Design Thinking" and "Health." After extracting information from these resources, consulting experts and drawing from internal experiences, the 22-item Design Thinking in Healthcare UNMC (DTHUNmC) Guideline was created to establish clarity in reporting the creation and development of health care-based interventions. For each of the 22 criteria, published examples are included illustrating the use of our criteria from recently published sources. Explanation of the rationale for inclusion of the criteria is also provided. The DTHUNmC Guideline represents a standardized mechanism for reporting Human-centered Design-related work in health care disciplines. Potential uses for this guideline will be explored.