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Review
. 2019 Dec;82 Suppl 3(3):S230-S243.
doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002216.

Human-Centered Design Lessons for Implementation Science: Improving the Implementation of a Patient-Centered Care Intervention

Laura K Beres  1 , Sandra Simbeza  2 , Charles B Holmes  1   3 , Chanda Mwamba  2 , Njekwa Mukamba  2 , Anjali Sharma  2 , Virginia Munamunungu  2 , Monica Mwachande  2 , Kombatende Sikombe  2 , Carolyn Bolton Moore  2 , Aaloke Mody  4 , Aybüke Koyuncu  2 , Katerina Christopoulos  4 , Lazarus Jere  2 , Jake Pry  2 , Peter D Ehrenkranz  5 , Ashwin Budden  6 , Elvin Geng  4 , Izukanji Sikazwe  2
Affiliations
Review

Human-Centered Design Lessons for Implementation Science: Improving the Implementation of a Patient-Centered Care Intervention

Laura K Beres et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2019 Dec.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Evidence-based HIV interventions often fail to reach anticipated impact due to insufficient utilization in real-world health systems. Human-centered design (HCD) represents a novel approach in tailoring innovations to fit end-users, narrowing the gap between efficacious interventions and impact at scale.

Methods: We combined a narrative literature review of HCD in HIV programs with our experience using HCD to redesign an intervention promoting patient-centered care (PCC) practices among health care workers (HCW) in Zambia. We summarize the use and results of HCD in the global HIV response and share case study insights to advance conceptualization of HCD applications.

Results: The literature review identified 13 articles (representing 7 studies) on the use of HCD in HIV. All studies featured HCD hallmarks including empathy development, user-driven inquiry, ideation, and iterative refinement. HCD was applied to mHealth design, a management intervention and pre-exposure prophylaxis delivery. Our HCD application addressed a behavioral service delivery target: changing HCW patient-centered beliefs, attitudes, and practices. Through in-depth developer-user interaction, our HCD approach revealed specific HCW support for and resistance to PCC, suggesting intervention revisions to improve feasibility and acceptability and PCC considerations that could inform implementation in transferable settings.

Conclusions: As both a research and implementation tool, HCD has potential to improve effective implementation of the HIV response, particularly for product development; new intervention introduction; and complex system interventions. Further research on HCD application strengths and limitations is needed. Those promoting PCC may improve implementation success by seeking out resonance and anticipating the challenges our HCD process identified.

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Conflict of interest statement

P.D.E. works for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. C.B.H. serves as a consultant to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Narrative literature review HCD study inclusion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. El-Sadr WM, Harripersaud K, Rabkin M. Reaching global HIV/AIDS goals: what got us here, won't get us there. PLoS Med. 2017;14:e1002421. - PMC - PubMed
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    1. Geng EH, Holmes CB. Research to improve differentiated HIV service delivery interventions: learning to learn as we do. PLoS Med. 2019;16:e1002809. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ulett KB, Willig JH, Lin HY, et al. The therapeutic implications of timely linkage and early retention in HIV care. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2009;23:41–49. - PMC - PubMed

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