Design Thinking In Nursing Education: A Pilot Study

Author : Carmen Wh Chan, Marques Sn Ng, Kailee Mok

Abstract :The dynamic healthcare landscape necessitates innovative approaches to patient care and problem solving. Design thinking, a human-centered approach to innovation, has demonstrated success in various healthcare settings and medical curricula. Building on these real-life successes, this study aims to introduce design thinking principles to undergraduate nursing students, with the goal of enhancing their problem-solving abilities and fostering healthcare innovation. The project objectives include introducing design thinking concepts, evaluating their impact on students’ skills and attributes, assessing the potential for curriculum integration, and exploring potential improvements in patient outcomes. The methodology encompasses a comprehensive literature review of successful design thinking applications in healthcare education, pre- and post-workshop evaluations, and a 3-hour introductory workshop. The study employs a pilot randomized controlled design, with 30 nursing students voluntarily participating. Participants are randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=25) receiving the design thinking workshop or the control group (n=25) continuing with the regular curriculum. Both groups will complete pre- and post-assessments. Participants’ skills and attitudes will be assessed using validated instruments, modified to suit the healthcare and nursing education context, measuring empathy, creativity, collaboration, patient care attitude, and problem-solving abilities. The workshop will cover the five stages of design thinking, allowing students to apply these principles to real-world healthcare challenges in their future practice. Post-workshop evaluation will measure changes in participants’ skills and attitudes compared to the control group. Findings will be presented in the conference. This study has the potential to contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the integration of design thinking into nursing education and its potential to improve patient care outcomes

Keywords :Design thinking, nursing education, healthcare innovation, problem-solving, patient care Ask ChatGPT

Conference Name :International Conference on Leadership in Nursing (ICLN-25)

Conference Place Los Angeles, USA

Conference Date 1st Jul 2025