The role of innovation in supporting transformation within healthcare is well recognised. This research aimed to map the current diabetes digital innovation landscape in Scotland and present an overview of its potential impact on the experiences of people living with diabetes. Through engagement with people living with diabetes, healthcare, and third-sector professionals we sought to understand unmet needs and identify gaps to inform future diabetes data-driven, digital and service innovation developments.
Research ran from summer 2022 to November 2023 and involved an online survey of people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals that sought to identify current challenges and priorities for diabetes innovation . Survey and desk-based research findings were used to build a map of the main scale-up challenges and current diabetes innovation projects. Interviews and workshops were designed to engage people living with diabetes and relevant healthcare and third-sector professionals in validating and identifying gaps, priority areas and aspirations for future innovation.
Survey responses (n=275) and desk-based research findings were analysed to build a map of current projects and priority areas, which was validated and used to identify opportunities for future innovation in interviews (n=8), four in-person workshops (n=25) and one virtual workshop (n=16). The findings are presented as interactive digital maps structured around seven thematic challenges: individualising care, lifestyles, education, health and digital inequalities, mental wellbeing, technology and data, and flexible care pathways. The current landscape maps identified innovation projects, highlighting their innovation type and readiness for adoption. The future landscape maps ideas and aspirations for future care and specific innovation ideas alongside current innovation projects. Finally, we identify five challenges in innovating diabetes care: implementation, resourcing, variation in resources and services, integrating user data, implementation timescales and managing expectations.
This research undertook a novel, and person-centred approach to identifying innovation priorities and explored the impact of innovations on the experiences of service users. By mapping future aspirations against current innovation projects, we highlight key thematic gaps in the current diabetes innovation landscape.
Placing users’ needs at the centre of the innovation agenda as demonstrated in this research, offers a fresh perspective and enables organisations to gain valuable insights into unmet needs. Furthermore, it fosters collaboration, empathy, and a deeper understanding of challenges leading to potentially more sustainable long-term innovative solutions.