Medical Humanity: Engaging Patients and Communities in Healthcare

The development of healthcare treatments has given people hope to fight diseases. However, humans are born to be afraid of advanced technologies. As such, it is critical that medical professionals have the skills to explain the benefits of treatments to patients and, ideally, involve them in the development of new treatments in the first place. Engage patients in the development of healthcare technology and treatments This free online course explores the concept of doctors as “mediators” in the changing relationship between patients and technology, and introduces the theme of “medical humanity” to improve communication and trust in healthcare. You will find out how to bring patients into the development of medical technologies and treatments. Traditionally, patients have been the “test” or “observation” subjects in science research, after tools have already been invented. But we will show you how to identify patients’ real needs, design prototypes to meet them and then interview patients, to find out how the prototypes can be modified. Using real-life examples from Taiwan and South East Asia, the course will help you to understand: the basic principles of community engagement; the concept of “living labs”; how to listen to people and use their oral histories as part of healthcare service design; how to make elders or minority groups an integral part of designing new medical technologies; and why you should consider technology as a tool for conscious social change. (Traditional Chinese subtitles are available at this course run.)