Healthcare has become a complex system and traditional methods of solving problems no longer work. In order to solve the challenges that face our health care system, everything from improving quality, reducing cost and improving access will require us to think differently from how we have tackled these issues in the past. Innovation requires us to try new ways to design solutions and consider if the questions we are asking are the actual problems. Clinicians and staff are valuable assets in healthcare innovation. Working the front lines provides insight on ways to evolve. However, barriers such as, lack of funding, resources, support or because such changes often fall outside of standard practice discourage innovation. Breaking these barriers and pushing healthcare innovation forward in both small and big ways is the driving force behind the HITS Research Lab.
The Health Innovation Technology and Simulation Laboratory (HITS Lab) collaborators at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, work together as nurses, engineers, business leaders, and designers to create products, services and ideas improving the lives of people and the productivity and success of companies and organizations. It was founded by Drs. Li and Wyatt, who along with two other business partners (Yo Indranoi & Matt Bell) sold a health-related software application they developed to Wolters Kluwer Health, an international publishing company. The software, Lippincott’s DocuCare, was globally released in July 2012 and is currently used by more than 350 universities, 3,000 instructors, and 33,000 students globally. From this collaboration the HITS Research Lab has evolved.
This is a short video clip that highlights some of the HITS projects/Apps.
