Health Experience Design 2021

A healthcare system designed for acute care doesn’t work very well for children and adolescents who are chronically ill. This presentation highlights a transformative approach to chronic illness care that is currently under development at UCSF. By definition, children with chronic illness will never be cured. They will carry their chronic disease to adulthood, and many will develop secondary morbidities as they age adding to their already complex medical needs. The Chronic Illness Center for Children and Adolescents (CIC) takes the long view of care with a service platform centered around optimizing the future health of these young patients with important adjuvant care that is not currently systematically provided at UCSF. Human-centered design methods are an integral part of this work in progress. The effort brings together patients, caregivers, UCSF physicians and clinicians, and community providers applying experience principles to design: the center as a service, a physical space, and a ‘living’ personalized needs assessment that will guide patients to wellness services. The needs assessment will serve as ‘case study’ for this collective co-creation and design learning experience.