Human-centered design workshop gives front-line nurses tools to innovate

A human-centered design workshop for Veterans Affairs front-line nurses improved their innovation competencies and empowered them to lead system improvements, according to an article published in the June issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration. Twenty-seven nurses worked in two-to-four person teams to address nurse and clinician-identified clinical, technological or operational challenges during an eight-hour workshop. The workshop was developed as part of a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Healthcare System in Milwaukee. Pre- and post-survey results showed participants improved in creative self-efficacy, psychological empowerment and traits of design thinkers.