Towards a convergent approach to the use of data in digital health design

Digital health is a vibrant and dynamic field, encompassing subsets such as mobile health, health information technology, wearable devices, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalised medicine. While digital health adoption has been markedly accelerated by the covid-19 pandemic (Inkster et al., 2020), an evolving body of research has focused...

Developing Data-enabled Design in the Field of Digital Health

The research question of this doctoral thesis is: What can be the future impact of design (activities) in digital health, given the rise of data collection and analysis technologies? I answered this question on three knowledge levels: design vision, knowledge-generating approach, and design tool. In Chapter 1, I envision design activities for...

Talking the walk: Applying data-driven patient profiles in the design of tailored services in orthopaedics

For patients that undergo a total hip replacement (Total Hip Arthroplasty, THA), tailored communication through printed or digital information channels may improve the patient experience. This PhD project explored how a segmentation of the Total Joint Arthroplasty (TJA, both knee and hip surgery) patient population can be used to design tailored...

Playscapes: Creating Space for Young Children's Physical Activity and Play

Young children often lack opportunities to play in a physically active way. This is particularly the case for children with cancer and other chronic diseases, who regularly undergo periods of hospitalization. Promoting their physical activity and play can contribute to their health, wellbeing, and development. This thesis develops ‘Playscapes’ –...

Efficient cryptographic building blocks for processing private measurements in e-healthcare

In order to achieve practical e-healthcare systems, five requirements should be addressed, namely 1) availability, 2) integrity, 3) accuracy, 4) confidentiality, and 5) efficiency. Using remote computer storage and processing services satisfies availability, integrity, and efficiency. However, it introduces privacy concerns regarding the leakage...

Beyond the numbers: A user-centered design approach for personal reflective healthcare technologies

The current healthcare paradigm shifts towards considering the patients’ home as the primary self-care environment. Health care is changing from being solely delivered by professionals in hospitals, to considering daily-life experiences and patients’ personal contexts. In order to meet this paradigm, the interaction between healthcare...

Building for a better hospital: Value-adding management & design of healthcare real estate

Recent deregulation of laws on hospital real estate in the Netherlands implies that healthcare institutions have more opportunities to make independent accommodation choices, but at the same time have themselves become responsible for the risks associated with the investment. In addition, accommodation costs have become an integral part of the...

De toegevoegde waarde van architectuur voor de zorg in ziekenhuizen

Creating caring hands through technology: An industrial designer's approach to medical teleconsultation

Doctor-patient teleconsultations have the potential to address the challenges of accessibility, quality and costs of healthcare. However, the diffusion of these systems into mainstream healthcare remains low. Taking a designer’s approach to developing teleconsultation systems is expected to have a positive effect on its acceptance. The aim of...