PD570 - CO-DESIGNING NUTRITION EDUCATION SUPPORT: APPLYING DESIGN THINKING IN AN ECHO LEARNING SESSION FOR PRIMARY CARE

PD570

CO-DESIGNING NUTRITION EDUCATION SUPPORT: APPLYING DESIGN THINKING IN AN ECHO LEARNING SESSION FOR PRIMARY CARE

V. Nicasio^1,2,*, A. Fisher ³, J. Jerez-Marte ⁴, P. Parra⁵, A. Francisco⁵, N. Martinez⁵, M. Pichardo⁶, L. Medina-Sanchez³, L. Corsino⁷, A. Nicasio⁸, A. Pichardo-Lowden^3,9

¹Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine, ²Nutrition, Dominican Women’s Development Center (DWDC), New York, ³Penn State College of Medicine, Pennsylvania, ⁴H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, United States, ⁵Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, ⁶Penn State College of Medicine, ECHO, Pennsylvania, ⁷Duke School of Medicine, North Carolina, ⁸Albizu University, Miami, ⁹Penn State Health, Pennsylvania, United States

Rationale: Nutrition education (NE) improves diabetes control. While individualization and reach are central, barriers often prevent reaching goals. Design thinking (DT) is a problem-solving method that uses an empathetic, user-centered, collaborative approach to develop solutions. It has demonstrated usability, satisfaction, and effectiveness in healthcare contexts. This study aimed to identify solutions to strengthen NE using the DT structured process.

Methods: Participants of a virtual ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) learning session, led jointly by an academic institution and a national health ministry, strategized ideas for NE focused on diabetes and obesity. They followed the Empathize - Define - Ideate - Prototype - Test process. This session engaged primary care physicians and nurses from resource-restricted areas in the Dominican Republic. The discovery phase empathized with participants’ collective perspectives. Defining synthesized problems into actionable statements. Ideation promoted considering options without hierarchy or judgement. Prototyping generated solutions for future testing.

Results: Participants [29 of 48 (60%)] rated their top 3 prototype solutions identified in the defining phase. Ranked as most promising for success, solutions are: adapt NE plans to include low-cost foods-83%, set gradual and realistic goals-59%,provide practical and culturally relevant NE-45%, create interest groups based on individuals’ needs-45%, strengthen motivation and behavioral support-24%, encourage family and social support-21%, and connect patients with community health resources-3%.

Conclusion: DT prioritized views producing an innovation with potential to address a real-world challenge. Findings can be tailored to specific contexts and resources for future testing. DT needs to be considered in synergy with other healthcare delivery science methods.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared