JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hospital-based makerspaces have emerged as collaborative environments for technical innovation, where designers cocreate with healthcare professionals and patients to resolve specific problems experienced in practice. As the ultimate end-users, patients can offer unique insights that could drive the development of patient-centred innovations. However, cocreation with patients is still rare – representing a missed opportunity to utilize their insights. This gap increases the risk of developing innovations that fail to meet patients’ needs. Patient-developer interactions are under-addressed in the literature and a deeper understanding could enhance their effectiveness.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of designers and patients (or their carers) collaborating in an academic hospital makerspace, using a bottom-up approach.

Methods:

A generic qualitive study was conducted using semi-structured individual interviews based on the Sunnybrook team-based competencies and Design Thinking methodology. A heterogeneous sample of twelve participants was recruited from a makerspace in an academic hospital in the Netherlands, comprising six with a designer’s perspective and six with a patient’s perspectives. Most participants were involved in collaborative pairs, representing both perspectives within the same innovation project. Data were analysed thematically.

Results:

Four key themes emerged from the data: 1) dealing with patient’s situation, 2) integrating different perspectives, 3) feeling valuable and useful, and 4) dynamic interplay and engagement. Collaboration with patients in this hospital-based makerspaces was perceived as valuable for innovation development, benefiting from diverse perspectives. However, the degree of patient involvement varied, influenced by factors such as the patient’s health status, reachability, and interest in innovation development.

Conclusions:

This study highlights the complexity of developing technical innovations that involve hospitalised patients. It offers valuable insights into how both patients and designers generally viewed their collaboration in the makerspace positively. Practical recommendations for hospital-based makerspaces include: respecting patient autonomy, involving patients early and consistently throughout all development phases, maintaining communication beyond the formal collaboration period, and actively seeking feedback.