Needs finding is an integral part of the Biodesign process which allows a patient journey to be charted from start to end, extending beyond the hospital into the community so as to create contextualized and impactful innovations.
Every year, our fellows are immersed in a specific clinical theme for 3 – 4 months, having witnessed first-hand how hospital procedures and operations are conducted. Through these observations, our fellows develop a comprehensive understanding of the needs in these areas which are stored in a needs database with the programme. These needs are also documented across different countries such as the U.S.A, Singapore, Indonesia, China and Korea, which further testify the need for country-specific solutions and/or to create modular solutions that can be built on to provide customized options.
| Year | Clinical Theme | Country |
| 2011 |
Ophthalmology |
Singapore, USA |
| 2012 |
ENT |
Singapore, USA |
| 2013 |
Cardiology |
Singapore, USA |
| 2014 |
Gastrointestinal |
Singapore, USA |
| 2015 |
Plastic Surgery |
Singapore, USA, Indonesia, S. Korea |
| 2016 |
Rehabilitation |
Singapore, USA, Indonesia, S. Korea |
| 2017 |
Respiratory Medicine |
Singapore, USA, Indonesia, S. Korea |
| 2018 |
Diabetes |
Singapore, USA, Indonesia, China |
| 2019 |
Ophthalmology |
Singapore, Indonesia, China |
Sample of Needs: 2016 Clinical Focus on Rehabilitation
| S/N |
Need Statement |
| 1 | A better way for partial locked-in syndrome patients to communicate with care givers to improve qol. |
| 2 | A better way to treat peripheral vestibulopathy in patients post-stroke to reduce nausea and giddiness. |
| 3 | A way to treat giddiness in post stroke patients undergoing PT to improve PT compliance. |
| 4 | A way to treat tremors in patients with vascular parkinsonism to reduce fall risks. |
| 5 | A better way to feed NG tube patients to reduce the burden of care. |
| 6 | A better way to conduct INR test for patients on Warfarin to reduce clinical visits. |
| 7 | A way to communicate for patients with expressive aphasia to improve patient's QOL. |
| 8 | A better way to prevent joint contracture in patients with upper motor neuron lesion to improve QOL/ADL. |
| 9 | A more efficient and objective way to assess dysphagia in situ in stroke patients to reduce risk of aspiration. |
Such needs may be utilized for:
- Hackathons/Open Innovation Challenges;
- Seeding new programmes, collaborations and/or projects;
- Validation of focus areas at a deeper level;
- Showcase of patient journey to better understand the complex stakeholder engagement and multidiciplinary approach to innovation.
Parties interested to access these needs for the following may
contact the Singapore Biodesign Team to find out more.
Entities interested to apply the Biodesign process in their workplace or in a pre-determined focus area may engage our team for needs identification, assessment and curation.
Below is a sample of a proposed filter process and timeline over a 2 – 3 month period to curate a list of 15 needs. Entities who are interested to engage or work alongside our team may contact the Singapore Biodesign Team with your requirements.
Increasingly, we are starting to witness needs that are extending beyond the hospital into the community as well as need areas that are less clinical but more process-oriented.
Our annual Thought Leaders Series and corresponding follow-on resources showcase the need to promote awareness on customer-centric healthcare innovations using the Biodesign approach. Do attend our events to gain a better understanding of Biodesign!
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