In the current climate and with the unprecedented difficulties facing healthcare systems across the globe, clinical innovation can be a savior. To achieve true clinical innovation, we need to first adopt a proper identification process for what the healthcare system needs on the ground, so we can develop user-centric, holistic solutions that meet the demands of stakeholders and create value in the long run. This was the goal of the clinical immersion experience during this year’s Clinical Innovation Fellowship program, taking place for the first time in Egypt.
Following a bootcamp in August 2020, the eight participants of the Clinical Innovation Fellowships with backgrounds in medicine, business, engineering, and design, were immersed for six weeks in the Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE 57357), one of the world’s largest, most diverse and dynamic facilities for treating pediatric cancer. It fosters a global vision of cancer-free childhood and is established and still growing with the support of donations from all around the world!
The Immersion Phase: Multidisciplinary field research for clinical need identification
For the Clinical Innovation Fellowships, the immersion phase is a fundamental cornerstone in which the aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs experience day-to-day fieldwork to observe, interact, research, and find tangible clinical needs. In the course of the immersion phase at CCHE and with the patients in focus, the eight fellows took part in the whole clinical cycle as two multidisciplinary teams. Through simulation activities, each team shadowed the healthcare professionals in different aspects; from assessing system integrations to product designs, while observing the patient experience.
The objective of this deep immersion experience was to find and document 400 needs to be validated, shortlisted, and classified in the next phases of the program, upon which they can build business model prototypes. The whole experience was designed with consideration to the current crisis to ensure the safety of participants and healthcare professionals.