By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Empathy, Humanity and Design at GE Healthcare
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Empathy, Humanity and Design at GE Healthcare
BusinessHospital AdministrationMedical DevicesTechnology

Empathy, Humanity and Design at GE Healthcare

Deanna Pogorelc
Deanna Pogorelc
Share
3 Min Read
healthcare delivery GE healthcare
SHARE

Originally published on MedCityNews.com.

healthcare delivery GE healthcareA medical procedure can be the most emotional, frightening thing to go through. Yet, healthcare is so technical and process-driven that the emotions around it so often go overlooked.

Originally published on MedCityNews.com.

healthcare delivery GE healthcareA medical procedure can be the most emotional, frightening thing to go through. Yet, healthcare is so technical and process-driven that the emotions around it so often go overlooked.

More Read

Commercial Speech Trumps Privacy When It Comes to Drug Marketing
Disease Registries Help Doctors Share Information
Bladder Cancer Care in America Gets a Failing Grade
Health-Focused Wearables: Can Innovators, Providers, and Insurers Work Together?
HHS Reform Timelines…Wiggle Room In Sight?

“We’re not just bones and flesh and organs,” said Bob Schwartz, the general manager of global design and user experience at GE Healthcare, at the Ohio State University’s Personalized Health Care Conference on Wednesday.

Schwartz oversees a team of 60 people charged with using design thinking to put some emotion into the company’s products, taking into account the user experience of not just the doctor but the patient as well. How, he posed, do we go about making healthcare less of an abrupt and startling diversion from ordinary life?

First, Schwartz said his team likes to observe how users behave, rather than asking them to describe how they behave. For example, a trauma team knows the process of delivering a patient to the emergency room like the back of their hand. But if asked to describe that process step-by-step, they’d likely leave out some of the things they don’t even realize they do, like fumble with tubes and wires. Those things, which Schwartz called “the zone of supposed paradox,” is often where the opportunity to innovate hides.

Once there’s a better understanding of the problems to be solved, it’s time to design. One of the questions Schwartz said his team considers is how to make a device feel like something a patient would see somewhere else. He showed a conceptual design of an MRI machine developed with inspiration from a pair of open, caring hands, to convey more of a feeling of comfort as the patient is rolled into the machine. Another conceptual image showed the inside of the device subtly decorated with patterns and shapes, to give patients something to look at once they’re inside the machine.

Finally, Schwartz recounted the importance of a diversified innovation and design team. “We never work by ourselves; we work in ensembles. Everybody is an owner,” he said. That includes bringing in groups from outside of the department sometimes, too. “In some projects we’ve done in recent years, the most IP has come from the HR people — go figure that.”

TAGGED:GE HEALTHCARE
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

How Healthcare Marketers Can Maximize Twitter’s New Features

February 17, 2015

MelaFind Gets FDA Approval For Detecting Melanoma

September 29, 2011

New Research on ACOs and the Accountable Care Opportunity

July 31, 2013
New York State of health
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & Law

Surprises in New York A.C.A. Enrollments

January 19, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?