With innovation I might impact thousands of lives
I am Andreas
I am a medical doctor with a Ph.D. and a diverse background encompassing several specialties, including emergency medicine, psychiatry, otolaryngology, and general practice. My primary motivation as a medical doctor has always been to help people in need and make a meaningful difference in their lives. Throughout my career I realised, that while direct patient care is profoundly rewarding it is also constrained by time, resources, and systemic inefficiencies. These limitations restrict the number of patients I can assist on a daily basis.
This realization sparked my interest in innovation and design thinking as a way to address broader healthcare challenges. By developing new solutions, technologies, or processes, I can potentially impact thousands, if not millions, of lives.
What’s in it for me?
BioMedical Design offers a unique opportunity to bridge my clinical expertise with innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, allowing me to create solutions that can transform healthcare delivery and leave a lasting legacy.
I applied to this program because I believe it equips participants with the tools, methodologies, and network needed, to drive meaningful change.
The positive side of being a passive observer
Coming from a clinical background where immediate decision-making and active intervention are the norms, it was initially a challenge to step back and adopt the role of an observer. My instinct as a medical professional is always to help, to fix, and to act. However, this observational role offered a rare and invaluable opportunity to gain a more comprehensive and objective understanding of the hospital environment.
By watching processes unfold, I was able to see patterns, inefficiencies, and interactions that aren’t always apparent, when you’re focused on solving individual cases. Instead of reacting to situations, I found myself asking deeper questions such as, “Why is this done this way?” and “Is there a better, more efficient, or safer way, to achieve this?” This shift in perspective enabled me to identify potential areas for improvement that might otherwise be overlooked during routine clinical work. It was an enlightening experience that helped me appreciate the power of stepping back, observing critically, and identifying opportunities, for systemic change.
Seeing things from a different angle
Before this experience, my understanding of hospital workflows was largely shaped by my own role as a clinician. Shadowing staff in various roles — from nurses, doctors and technicians to administrative personnel— gave me a much richer and more nuanced perspective on how the ward operates. I came to appreciate the complexity and interdependence of different tasks and roles within the hospital ecosystem.
A shared understanding helps
What struck me most was how each profession has its own set of responsibilities, challenges, and workflows, which are often not fully visible to others. This lack of transparency can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or inefficiencies. When we visualized these processes through diagrams and shared them with the staff, many were surprised by the insights gained. It helped create a shared understanding and highlighted opportunities for improved collaboration and communication. This experience underscored the importance of seeing healthcare delivery as a team effort where every role is vital to the overall functioning of the ward.
During our two months of observation in the cardiology and endocrinology departments, we documented several hundred observations and issues. These ranged from seemingly minor inconveniences to more significant systemic challenges. Some of these issues were specific to the specialties we observed, while others reflected broader problems seen across healthcare settings, such as workflow inefficiencies, communication gaps, and patient safety concerns.
A need is an opportunity to improve
From these observations, we identified close to 100 specific healthcare needs. These needs encompass a wide range of areas, including patient care quality, workflow optimization, resource management, and challenges faced by healthcare providers. Each identified need represents an opportunity for improvement and innovation. Our goal is to systematically analyze and prioritize these needs based on their impact and feasibility, ensuring that we address the most pressing and transformative opportunities.
Moving forward, we are currently focused on addressing a specific, local need within the host department while simultaneously validating and refining the other identified needs. By engaging with healthcare professionals and stakeholders, we aim to better understand the underlying causes and potential solutions for each challenge.
Killing our darlings
By week 5, we plan to narrow our list down to 2-3 validated needs that show the greatest potential for impact. This validation process involves conducting interviews, analyzing data, and ensuring that the needs we focus on are both significant and solvable. Once we finalize these top needs, we will move into the next phase: selecting one need to develop into a viable solution. This will involve brainstorming, prototyping, and testing potential solutions to ensure they are both effective and implementable within real healthcare settings.
The most profound experience in my learning journey has been witnessing the power and potential of interdisciplinary collaboration. In clinical practice, healthcare professionals often work within their specialized silos. In the BioMedical Design program, I have had the opportunity to work closely with experts from diverse fields, such as engineering, design, business, and technology.
This collaboration has shown me that combining different perspectives, skills, and ways of thinking can lead to innovative solutions that no single discipline could achieve on its own. For example, a clinical problem that might seem insurmountable can be approached in a completely new way when viewed through the lens of an engineer or designer. This cross-disciplinary approach has deepened my appreciation for teamwork and highlighted how innovation thrives at the intersection of different fields. I’m eager to continue leveraging these collaborative experiences to create impactful healthcare solutions.
