Butterflies in the stomach – thyroid medication Henning

General practitioners are usually the first point of contact for patients with non-specific symptoms. However, the group of doctors faces the challenge of recognizing the specific symptoms of thyroid diseases. These can often only be identified at first glance by specialists. 

During the research phase of the Design Thinking process, the student team first conducted interviews with general practitioners, specialists, medical assistants and thyroid patients. After evaluating the interviews, the students focused on a suggestion made by specialists. They had noted that it is difficult for many general practitioners to recognize thyroid-specific symptoms because they lack the necessary specialist knowledge.

In addition, patients themselves were identified as important informants for a reliable diagnosis, since their medical history can provide important clues. 

n the course of the further Design Thinking process, the students developed a digital tool for diagnosis, which they called "AmiCura". This information system for general practitioners provides relevant information based on the identified symptoms of the patient. The starting point is a digital questionnaire about the patient's medical history. Based on this questionnaire, general practitioners are provided with up-to-date recommendations for action from specialists.

The digital health application "AmiCura" is designed to fill knowledge gaps in the area of thyroid disorders and to make it easier for general practitioners to access current recommendations for action. It also draws attention to thyroid-specific disease patterns that might otherwise escape a general practitioner.

The collaboration with the students, the insights gained from working on the design challenge and getting to know the Design Thinking approach had a lasting effect on the involved team at Sanofi-Aventis Germany. As a result, the team also applied the user-centered approach in their own product development, conducted workshops with interdisciplinary teams and established cross-departmental meetings.

The team also organized co-creation workshops and hackathons together with doctors, formats that the team had learned about in collaboration with students. With the help of Design Thinking, they developed a new website with an interactive chatbot for customers, for example.