Chapter 3 Design of healthcare sustainability: innovation and challenges

Abstract

The sustainability of healthcare innovations has received less attention despite substantial empirical, theoretical, and practical contributions to their development and implementation. However, several healthcare advances fail to maintain their effectiveness. There is a need to enhance the level of clarity regarding the concept of innovation sustainability to guide the development of knowledge in the field. The relationship between sustainability and healthcare is evident since the condition of the environment significantly impacts the well-being of the general population. A comprehensive theoretical model for sustainability in healthcare has been constructed, with consideration of the recognized sustainability practices in the healthcare sector. The field of implementation science was developed to address the difficulties of implementing concepts supported by evidence into reality. The main goal is to establish the sustainability of innovations for long-term continuation and integration after overcoming the difficulty. Tools and metrics have been developed to evaluate the sustainability of innovations in professional and educational environments. The changing environment of sustainability in the healthcare sector, with a focus on innovation and the many problems that healthcare systems around the world face affect each other in important ways. The chapter explores the growing importance of innovation in healthcare as a means of addressing the growing environmental, economic, and social concerns people face. Sustainability in healthcare innovation is a complex concept that may have various meanings in various situations and is inconsistently employed. Furthermore, it is proposed that sustained innovations are influenced by a variety of innovation-, context-, leadership-, and process-related preconditions or factors. The chapter includes innovative healthcare solutions like artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and Internet of things devices, as well as sustainable practices including green healthcare facilities and supply chain optimization. These developments may help enhance healthcare while decreasing expenses and limiting damage to the environment. The chapter emphasizes the significant challenges that healthcare sustainability faces, such as the increasing expenses of healthcare, differences in healthcare accessibility, and ethical issues related to developing technology. It provides a detailed review of the present status of sustainability in the healthcare sector by conducting a thorough analysis of both innovation and difficulties. The healthcare industry is complicated and must adapt to new trends without enough resources and structures. The need for a new approach to new challenges in the healthcare industry offers a stimulating application field for design disciplines. The chapter provides an overview of the strategy and technique used by the systemic innovation design.