Heleen Engelen<\/a> of Philips Healthcare explained in her talk at Codemotion Amsterdam 2019, teams of designers across the globe are helping to spark a revolution in healthcare that prioritises the needs of both staff and patients.<\/p>\nHeleen, who is Head of Design for Precision Diagnosis at Philips Design, began by telling the audience about her mother-in-law\u2019s experience in the healthcare system.<\/p>\n
Despite suffering several strokes, a chronic heart condition and daily pain from problems with her spine, the 73-year-old was still striving to live a normal and happy life.
\nBut unfortunately, she then developed an infection in her mouth that rendered her unable to swallow properly. Doctors were baffled.<\/p>\n
After a year, she went to another hospital for a second opinion and it was discovered that the cause of the infection was the cocktail of drugs she had been taking for all her different ailments. All it took was to change one pill and the infection was gone within 24 hours.<\/p>\n
What does Heleen\u2019s mother-in-law\u2019s story have to do with a global company like Philips, with more than 100,000 people in 100 locations around the world? For Heleen, it reinforces the need for a holistic approach to patient care and the need to utilise the skills of the digital community to meet the evolving needs of the global healthcare ecosystem.<\/p>\n