Can design help patients take greater control of their own recovery?

The first six months following diagnosis is a critically important time for chronic-care patients to regain control of their lives. Yet almost 30% of post-surgical patients end up back in the hospital within 30 days because they have trouble adapting to new behaviours after they get home.

Rapid innovation in areas like digital ecosystems, the quantified self and personalised medicine gives design an active role in translating technologies into useful tools that empower patients and practitioners. Now that the healthcare industry is putting pressure on patients to take more responsibility than ever, it's an interesting time to discuss whether design can indeed enable patients to adopt new behaviours.

Join Jeremy Myerson (Director of Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, RCA), Colin Callow (Head of the NHS Innovation Centre), Eric Freitag (Director of Healthcare, Smart Design), Matt James Evans (Director, HealthUnlocked) and Andy Ward (Managing Principal, GE Healthcare) for a Smart Salon on the current state of behaviour-changing technologies and a debate about whether it's a good idea to rely on patients to take better care of themselves.

We are currently at capacity for this event. To be notified if seats become available, please join the wait list. Additionally, if you would like to receive an video recap, and be notified about future Smart Design events, please join our mailing list.

Details:

Tuesday 18:30-21:30, 29 January 2013
Drinks and snacks at 18:30
Talk starts promptly at 19:00

Royal College of Art - Senior Common Room
Kensington Gore
London, SW7 2EU

Want to learn more?
Please email Graham Rittener if you'd like to know more about Smart Design's healthcare initiative and this event. 

About Smart Design
We design products and services that can impact the future of how people live, where industries shift and the ways businesses grow. We help companies uncover emerging opportunities and move innovation from theory into practice, with the goal to deliver strong, sustainable growth within the pressures of their organizations. We partner with some of the world's most-loved household brands to design innovative experiences that make a meaningful difference to how people work, live, learn and play. 

About Smart Salons
Our studios frequently host panel discussions centered around compelling and timely topics in the areas of design, technology and business. Past Salon guests have included influencers such as Charles Adler (co-founder of Kickstarter), Jeffrey Hollander (founder of Seventh Generation), Patrick Whitney (IIT Institute of Design), Richard Saul Wurman (founder of TED) and many others.

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