Foundations of Medical Technology: Co-Designing an Innovation Capability Platform for Frontline Healthcare Workers

Safer Care Victoria (SCV) are Victoria’s healthcare quality and safety improvement specialists, tasked with ensuring better health outcomes for Victorians. Working in direct partnership with health workers and consumers, SCV identified a need for increased health-led innovation and technological advancement to address persistent healthcare challenges. While healthcare workers have a deep understanding of the challenges they face in daily work they often lack the innovation training required to identify challenges and develop effective solutions. Furthermore, there is a gap between healthcare workers and the broader innovation ecosystem (academia, medical technology experts, entrepreneurs, industry) to support them on their innovation journey.

To address the skills gap in healthcare worker education and better connect healthcare workers to the broader innovation ecosystem, SCV and Monash University partnered to co-design a capability platform Foundations of Medical Technology. We brought together 65 clinicians, healthcare workers, consumers, industry and academic researchers to co-design inputs to the platform, and included consumer feedback at each stage of development. Foundations of Medical Technology is focused on solving persistent healthcare problems impacting on patient safety and healthcare equity. Informed by user needs and aligning to the world-renowned Stanford Biodesign model it is available free for anyone interested in healthcare innovation.

Nearly 300 learners have enrolled in the course since its July 2024 launch, demonstrating significant interest and confirming the market gap. This includes a diverse range of healthcare workers including participants from >10 metropolitan, rural and regional health services including medical doctors, occupational therapists, nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, podiatrists and pharmacists. Integrated surveys reveal few participants had prior knowledge and experience in medical technology innovation, and those surveyed report improvement after completion. The program has also been incorporated into professional development at Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences postgraduate training, further advancing innovation capability in the healthcare workforce.

Links to the program: - https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/best-practice-improvement/innovation/innovation-partnerships-programs-and-training - https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/best-practice-improvement/innovation - Foundations of Medical Technology is an online program available through any web browser (no specialist software required), which is free to access and requires little background knowledge. - Structured as self-paced modules to accommodate busy healthcare workers to ‘pop in and out’. Learners complete the program at their own pace, and receive a certificate upon completion. - We ensured the content was adequate to address early-stage needs, but was not onerous regarding time outlay. - Directly informed by insights from the co-design process, and its structure and approach is modelled upon the world-renowned Stanford Biodesign model. - Includes multiple styles of delivery to optimise engagement - reading, voice, images, stories, activities. - Opportunity provided for further innovation ecosystem connection (Monash University Institute of Medical Engineering - MIME, SCV) and guidance towards various other organisations and networks to assist further development of ideas. - Opportunity to provide anonymous feedback via an integrated survey, ensuring ongoing improvement of the platform. - Promoted through a range of government and academic channels. - Relatable and transferable, supporting the learner to make the connection between theory and application to their healthcare setting using relevant examples.