In recent years, the importance of efficient, effective public health supply chains has come into sharp focus. Design thinking — a human-centered problem-solving approach rooted in empathy, ideation and experimentation — is a powerful tool for addressing complex issues across various domains, including public health supply chains.
Understanding the public health supply chain
The public health supply chain involves the procurement, storage, transportation and distribution of essential medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, vaccines and equipment. It serves as the backbone of health care systems, ensuring that facilities have resources to deliver quality care.The public health supply chain faces numerous challenges, including:
- Complexity: Coordinating the movement of supplies on a national or global scale is complex, involving many stakeholders, diverse products and varying demand patterns.
- Resource constraints: Limited funding and resources can lead to inefficiencies, affecting the availability of critical supplies in health care facilities.
- Data management: Managing and analyzing vast amounts of data related to supply chain operations is challenging but essential for informed decision-making.
- Resilience: The supply chain must be resilient to disruptions, such as natural disasters or global health crises.
- Accessibility: Ensuring that supplies reach remote and underserved areas is a constant struggle.
How does design thinking work?
- Empathy as a foundation: The first step in design thinking involves understanding the needs and challenges of those who rely on the supply chain, including health care workers and patients. By conducting interviews and surveys and making observations, designers can gain insights into the real-world problems people face.
- Ideation and innovation: In this phase, which involves creative brainstorming, cross-functional teams generate novel ideas for improving supply chain processes. This collaborative approach can lead to innovative solutions that address long-standing issues.
- Prototyping and testing: Design thinking advocates for quick prototyping and testing of ideas. In this context, this could involve creating small-scale pilot projects to assess the feasibility and impact of proposed improvements. Prototyping allows decision-makers to learn from failures and refine their solutions.
- Data-driven decision-making: The design thinking process is not divorced from data— it’s enhanced by it. Data analytics can provide insights into supply chain operations, helping decision-makers identify areas for improvement and track progress toward goals.
- Iterative problem solving: Design thinking promotes an iterative approach, where solutions are continuously refined based on feedback and changing circumstances. This flexibility is crucial in the dynamic and evolving landscape of public health.
- Stakeholder engagement: Engaging stakeholders — from health care workers to logistics experts — in the decision-making process ensures that solutions align with context.
Design thinking in action
Let’s delve into real-world examples that show the successful application of design thinking to public health supply chain decision-making:
Zipline offers drone delivery for medical supplies in Rwanda
Zipline, a California-based company, partnered with the Rwandan government to employ drones for the swift delivery of medical supplies to remote and difficult-to-reach areas.
Design thinking principles guided the development of the drone delivery system, which includes a user-friendly interface for health care workers to place orders and track deliveries.
The results? A 67% reduction in blood wastage across Rwanda, 51% reduction in in-hospital maternal deaths due to postpartum hemorrhaging at Zipline-served facilities in Rwanda, and 60% shorter vaccine stockouts at Zipline-served facilities as compared to those not served by Zipline.
The UPS Foundation’s Vaccine Project
The UPS Foundation, in collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, applied design thinking to optimize vaccine delivery in Mozambique.
Through stakeholder engagement and empathy-driven research, the project identified challenges in vaccine distribution, including unreliable transportation and lack of data visibility.
Design thinking led to innovative solutions such as the use of portable, solar-powered refrigerators and real-time tracking systems, ensuring vaccines’ integrity and timely delivery.
Public health and design thinking: A dynamic duo
Design thinking offers a fresh perspective on addressing the complex challenges of public health supply chain decision-making. By fostering empathy, creativity and data-driven iterative problem-solving, design thinking can lead to more resilient, efficient and patient-centric supply chains. Integrating design thinking into public health supply chain decision-making may prove to be the key to improving health care outcomes for all. It’s time to design a healthier future.
