Researchers, professionals and patients can make health care better

178 ideas on how health care can be better. This is the result so far from the research project “User oriented innovation in Primary Care” conducted by CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University in collaboration with the County Council of Värmland, Sweden. On May 7th, a closing seminar was held where project’s innovation group work was presented for patients and staff at the County Council and Vinnova. The work conducted in the groups gives a picture of how development is affected when both staff and patients are involved, and has so far resulted in 178 ideas on how to develop and improve health care.

In September last year six innovation groups were formed. Groups with only patients, groups with staff only, and groups mixed with both staff and patients. The task has been to discuss problems and ideas on how “their” medical center can be improved both from a patient, and staff perspective. Together the groups have developed 178 ideas that can be sorted into five categories; availability, physical environment, patient experience, quality, and work organization.

In addition to leading the work in the innovation groups, the researchers have also interviewed patients and county council staff to get their views and thoughts on this type of approach.

The most exciting part is that it was such a positive and open discussion in our group, where staff from the medical clinic were represented together with us (the patients). Simply brilliant. Innovation groups should be used more. It is really important that the ideas that came up are captured and implemented, says Eva Persson about her participation in the innovation group work.

Many good ideas
Thomas Wilén, Skåre Medical Clinic, gave his view on the approach from a staff perspective. It has been a fruitful and interesting way to work, when working on improvements it is important to get views from both sides, that is both staff and patients. The work has resulted in many good ideas. It feels good to know that researchers are included in the continuing work on implementing some of these in the operations, that they become a reality and just not good ideas on paper.

Now we will compile and analyze the work of the groups and the County Council will bring back the ideas to their operations. One challenge in the project is to develop a methodology that supports an implementation, and then spread the ideas to other operations outside the County Council, says Per Skålén, Professor of Business Administration at CTF.

About the project
The innovation group work is an activity within the research project “User oriented innovation in health care through innovation groups” and is conducted at CTF, Service Research Center in collaboration with the County Council, Värmland. The aim of the project is to develop a methodology to increase the level of innovation and to implement innovations in primary care. The project is funded by Vinnova and will span over the period 2014-2016.

For information contact Per Skålén, phone +46 54-700 2112 or by e-mail: per.skalen@kau.se