Cultural benchmarking

Healthcare around the world: US, UK, Norway

Looking at other healthcare models such as the US, UK and Norway, I did some cultural benchmarking exercises which would allow me to gain a deeper understanding of diferent systems around the world and how they are implemented. Typically, Western healthcare models are diferent to Hong Kong in the way that mental health and socioeconomic factors are oftentimes taken into account for. This is what is deemed as the “Rainbow Model” of healthcare. Lots of similarities between UK and HK. Hong Kong’s own healthcare model is inspired by NHS. Similar problems faced in public healthcare (long queue times).

RESEARCH METHODS

> DIGITAL SAFARI: Desk research and looking at secondary sources online

> GUERRILLA RESEARCH: going on Reddit to interact and engage opinions on healthcare around the world

I found inspiration in this interesting example of interdisciplinary design seen in operation, which I included in my prototype. Using Reddit, I went on a few forums and interacted with users to ask the most pressing questions I had in mind: • Why is healthcare in the US so expensive? • What are the basic functions of the UK’s NHS? • Why is Norway said to be “the best healthcare model in the world”? Norway has been repeatedly said to adopt the best healthcare system in the world, and I was curious to find out why from the perspective of its actual users.

I learnt that Norway’s healthcare system is 3-tiered, unlike the 2-way model seen in the UK, US and Hong Kong (either public or private). Norway additionally has a decentralised model for primary care, managed by their own communities.

The Rainbow Model

The Rainbow Model in healthcare takes into account of certain principles beyond primary care that can influence the quality of treatment and service delivery. The UK and US have slightly varying principles that both have respective pain and gain points.

Multidisciplinary health was something I later identified as feasible in Hong Kong, and an integration to my system.