Written by: Meera Garcia, MD, FACOG
March 11, 2025
Human-centered design enhances evidence-based maternity care, improving outcomes, patient experiences, and reducing costs through innovative, patient-centered solutions.
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Human-Centered Design: A Powerful Ally in Evidence-Based Maternity Care
Maternity care is a pivotal area demanding continuous improvement as the US sits at the bottom of the list for maternal safety and at the top for maternal morbidity and mortality in the technologically advanced world. While evidence-based practices offer a strong foundation for effective care, they don't always translate into positive patient experiences or efficient healthcare systems. This is where human-centered design (HCD) steps in, bridging the gap between evidence-based knowledge and the reality of care delivery.
The Synergy of HCD and Evidence-Based Care
HCD is a powerful methodology focused on putting the patient (in this case, the mother and her family) at the center of the design process. It goes beyond clinical data to consider the broader lived experience, considering the psychological, social, and emotional factors influencing a mother's journey. This approach aligns beautifully with evidence-based care, which relies on rigorous scientific research to inform clinical decisions.
A 2021 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health further supports this synergy, concluding that HCD can effectively bridge the gap between research evidence and practical implementation, leading to more effective interventions in healthcare settings (Bazzano et al., 2021).
Combining Strengths: A Powerful Approach
When these methodologies are combined, the result is a potent force for positive change. Evidence-based care provides the "what" – the scientifically proven methods for effective care. HCD provides the "how" – the optimal way to implement and adapt these methods to meet individual needs and preferences.
Improved Clinical Outcomes: By understanding a mother's specific needs and preferences (HCD), the healthcare team can tailor evidence-based interventions to ensure better adherence and outcomes. For example, if a new mobile app for tracking vital signs is being developed, HCD input ensures that its design and functionality make it practical and enjoyable for pregnant women to use. A study published in BMJ Open in 2019 demonstrated this effect, showing how HCD principles led to a more culturally appropriate and user-friendly mobile health intervention for pregnant women in Ghana, improving adherence to antenatal care recommendations (Abejirinde et al., 2019).
Enhanced Patient Experience: HCD ensures that care is not only effective but also humanizing and respectful. This means designing interventions that are comfortable, easy to understand, and empower mothers to participate actively in their care decisions. For example, the article mentions the use of HCD to design the "Team Birth" approach that improves communication and teamwork during labor. Additionally, research published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing in 2020 described how HCD principles were used to redesign postpartum units, resulting in increased patient satisfaction scores and improved breastfeeding rates (Lalonde et al., 2020).
Cost Savings: While seemingly counterintuitive, HCD can also lead to significant cost savings. By designing more efficient and user-friendly processes, HCD can reduce administrative burdens and decrease hospital readmissions. For instance, designing intuitive decision support tools for expectant parents helps reduce anxiety and the need for numerous consultations. A 2018 study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research corroborated this, showing how an HCD approach to developing a decision support tool for expectant parents led to reduced anxiety levels and fewer unnecessary medical consultations, potentially leading to cost savings (Sayakhot et al., 2018).
Real-World Applications
HCD is being applied in maternity care in various ways:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the value of HCD in improving maternal health outcomes. In 2019, they published a guide on "Human-Centered Design in Digital Health" which includes case studies of successful HCD implementations in maternity care across various countries (WHO, 2019).
Addressing Fragmentation with Technology and HCD
A prime example of how HCD and evidence-based medicine can be combined to improve maternity care is the Mother Goose Health platform. This innovative solution directly addresses the persistent problem of fragmentation in maternity care delivery, which is a significant contributor to poor outcomes and patient dissatisfaction.
Mother Goose Health's platform acts as a centralized hub, connecting all stakeholders in the maternity care journey into one comprehensive ecosystem – from obstetricians and midwives to patients and their families, breastfeeding support, mental health referrals, and specialist care. This unified approach helps reduce the silos that often exist between different care providers and settings, ensuring that all parties have access to the same up-to-date information and care plans.
The Mother Goose Health platform incorporates the latest evidence-based guidelines, ensuring that care recommendations are consistently aligned with best practices. This feature helps standardize care across different providers and settings, reducing variability and potential gaps in care delivery. At the same time, the platform utilizes HCD principles to create personalized care journeys for each patient, considering individual risk factors, preferences, and needs.
Real-time communication facilitated by the platform addresses one of the key challenges in fragmented care systems. This feature allows for timely interventions, reduces miscommunication, and helps patients feel more connected to their care process. The user-friendly interface and comprehensive educational resources empower patients to take an active role in their care, aligning with HCD principles by making complex medical information accessible and actionable.
By collecting and analyzing data across the entire care journey, the platform can identify trends, risk factors, evolving potential issues, and opportunities for improvement. This data-driven approach supports continuous refinement of care protocols and helps healthcare providers make more informed decisions. Furthermore, the platform's design facilitates smooth transitions between different care settings – from prenatal visits to hospital delivery and postpartum care – reducing the risk of important information being lost during handoffs between providers or facilities.
Conclusion
The combination of HCD and evidence-based care represents a transformative approach to maternity services. By focusing on the patient experience as well as evidence-based protocols, healthcare professionals can achieve superior outcomes, greater patient satisfaction, and increased efficiency. This is not just about better care; it is about improving healthcare as a whole.
The Mother Goose Health ecosystem epitomizes how technology, when designed with both evidence-based medicine and human-centered principles in mind, can significantly reduce fragmentation in maternity care. This approach not only improves clinical outcomes but also enhances the overall experience for both patients and healthcare providers, aligning perfectly with the goals of integrated, patient-centered maternity care.
As more healthcare institutions adopt this integrated approach and leverage innovative technologies like Mother Goose Health, we can expect to see continued improvements in maternity care outcomes and experiences. The synergy between HCD, evidence-based medicine, and Mother Goose Heath represents a promising path forward in addressing the complex challenges of modern maternity care.