Literature Review
Project Diabetes
Introduction:
As per World health organization 180 million diabetics in world and the number is about to reach 230 million by 2030. Out of these more than 30% diabetics are from India and China. The known diabetics count in India has reached 32 million and more than 50% of them reside in rural sector. There is a real need to understand the fact of the rapid growth in the number of diabetics and work towards coming out with possible design interventions in the community benefit. This requires extensive research about the field and need to understand the healthcare system which supports in managing chronic diseases like this. If we see the broader picture most of the diabetics lack in managing their regular blood sugar levels because of several reasons such as lack of knowledge, poor resources, poverty, and mismanagement etc. the increasing growth in rural diabetics is an good example of lack of resources. The rural diabetic can’t manage his BGL because he in capable to afford the cost involved with the disease and no proper channels through which he can take benefit. Where as half of the diabetics suffer with lack in early diagnose and most of them die identified. On the other hand an urban diabetic is busy in his daily activities, which makes him difficult to find time to regulate his BGL. The fast urban life has developed irregular food habits and fast food culture, where a diabetic really can’t keep a record of every day food management. Hence this develops a need of support product service system where the rural diabetic can get benefited with low cost services, education and product support and the urban diabetic gets a service where he can manage his daily data and gets regular feedback. The overall dialogue is suggesting that an effective product service system can stand efficient to help the diabetic to manage their condition.
Visualizing the service
The term “Product service system” has been defined as a marketable set of products and services capable of jointly fulfilling a user’s need. The product and service ratio in this set can vary, either in terms of function fulfillment or economic value” in case of diabetes home care model the service will be looking at the both the perspective but in different user needs as the rural sector needs the economic value where as the urban sector needs functional fulfillment and both carry equal weightage. The service is apparently works in conjunction with different stakeholders. There are various approaches and trends are outlined towards the development of product service system (PSS) are outlined as
-
Sale the use of product rather than product itself
-
The change to leasing society
-
A repair society rather than throw away society
-
Change in user’s mentality from sales to service orientation.
The challenge new approach lies in system solutions, where bits and pieces fits together, integrated to a support care system which will the diabetic to self manage his/her conditions to a satisfactory level. Such system based solutions should facilitate the shift from other healthcare systems, in which products, services, supporting infrastructure and necessary networks are designed, so that to provide a certain quality of life to the diabetic and same time reduces the environmental impact of the system.
For a diabetic, this service means a shift from buying expensive products and spending time and money on doctor’s visits to buying a service which has potential to provide vital data through web based interface and the required product support
For the service provider, the service means higher degree of responsibility for the products full life cycle, early involvement of diabetic in the design of service and design of a close loop system.
Why this service?
The home care model concept has the potential to bring about such changes which can accelerate the healthcare industry to shift towards more sustainable practices and societies. According to some authors, the concept might be promising for commercial companies, government, and customers
Understanding this system will provide an opportunity to bring a better lifestyle for diabetic. The current health care practice in India is not very well organized. The cost of healthcare is unbearable by a common man and the government services are so chaotic and unhygienic. They are not really managed; the service they provide is not really dependable. So by supporting such kind of private healthcare institutes government can assure a clean and hygienic health care practice. The concept of a product service system facilitates innovation at a more than incremental level and has potential to bring financial benefits.
This service can be an extension for some healthcare companies for their existing offers for the patients. Others can see it as a new business opportunity.
Usually such companies are forerunners and see the opportunity of being first on the market as a basis for survival.
There are different benefits for product manufacturing companies, heath workers and health practitioners by getting associated with the service.
Product component
Attach addition value to product.
Simplify the usage of the product so as to understand by the common user.
Make the product economically viable and easily in reach of user.
Service component
Health workers can locate the area and take charge. Visit the diabetic at regular interval. The job of health worker is clearly defined, and that is to guide the diabetic to self manage his BGL. Explain the benefits regular exercise and diet control. Keep a track of their BGL readings and forward it to the concern heath practitioner. If serious symptoms observed she can suggest the diabetic to visit the concern health practitioner.
The role of health practitioner is to monitor the diabetic condition and prescribe the required mediation. He will be involved in educating the rural sector in conjunction with health workers and attend regular camps.
The overall set up will be organized and by the healthcare team and will be connected through a web based interface.
Government and society component
Understanding diabetes home care model (DHM) can therefore help to formulate policies that promotes sustainable pattern of consumption and sustainable lifestyle. DHM have the potential to offer a new way of understanding and influencing all the stakeholder relationships and viewing product networks, which again may facilitate development of more efficient policies (Mont.o.k)
At the same time, it is expected that the promotion of added services or substitute of products and alternative schemes of product-service use can assist in the creation of new job.
Benefits
Diabetics can be benefited by this service because they receive product support and prospect for schemes to for variety of products. It will not be mandatory to go for the same product as their will be a greater diversity of choices in the market for those who can afford.
The service components, being flexible by nature the, induces new combination of products and services, better able to respond to changing needs and conditions. The products given to the diabetics are can be under the ownership of the producer and so the user will not have to worry about its servicing part.
The service system changes the price cost systems of the present economy because “the cost of production are only a very small part of the costs involved in making a product available to customer.” Diabetics pay not for material goods but for intangible services. This can amplify the technical development of dematerialization, which is already an ongoing process.
As products are essential part of this service, successful development of a product service system requires that manufacturers and service providers extend their involvement and responsibility to phases in the life cycle, which are usually outside the traditional buyer-seller relationship, such as take back, recovery, reuse and remanufacturing. Usual responsibilities for products are extended through the additional or deepened responsibility for service, including the responsibility for proper organization of take back arrangements and systems for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling and for educating consumers about efficient product use. The reduced technology and material requires a stronger co-operation with suppliers and expertise of the field.
The relationship between the healthcare team and the diabetic plays key role if the product service system are to be designed effectively. Some healthcare institutions have already started working in the area of diabetes and building up close relationship with the diabetics.
The organization who wants to adopt this service will need to change its traditional structure. The extended involvement of the organization with other stakeholders and actors in the service chain may create a demand for intermediates. A web based service can act as the binding element or will act as a common thread. A new network may need to establish in order to develop the system. This can be research network which will investigate through qualitative and quantitative method the actual number of diabetics in the sector, regional and sectoral network can help locating diabetics which are unidentified, through the means of health camps, advertisement and campaigns.
Design particularities
There are few existing examples of design projects, where entire product service system is being designed. The design methodologies of the entire DHM probably differ from the regular product design method.
-
Designing DHM requires close interaction of all actors with in the life cycle of a product service. Through interaction between the service and the product manufacturer, is more likely to permit the clear transmission of the economic incentives, allowing service activities to drive manufacturing or design changes.
-
The servicing and maintenance part of product should be well designed
-
Alternative scenarios of service considering different aspects and possibilities to be priorly thought of.
-
The scenarios to be shown to the user of the service, providing information on economic and environmental offers.
-
Health workers are to be trained regarding the topic of self management, diabetic care and other required knowledge.
Barriers
The concept of PSS is still in the development phase, but it has already been suggested all possible scenarios of moving towards more sustainable production and consumption system. Hence it’s therefore important to examine all convincible barriers to its development, application and continuous betterment.
-
As the service is dealing designing both the product and service system it’s difficult to develop the scenarios of alternative product use.
-
As we have an identified sector to work on the risk of acceptance of the service and convincing the service to the society reduces to an extent.
-
The designing of service with product support considering the environmental and sustainable issues can be lengthening and can create dilemmas
-
The user of the service might not be very enthusiastic about the ownerless service, or the target area might not turn beneficial.
-
Product testing should be done before implementing the service as product failure can also lead to the failure of service.
-
All components of the service need to be intact and well designed as the success /failure of service is the responsibility of each and every stakeholder.
Conclusion
There are many examples of service design can be found in various fields like eco design, product customization, recycling , healthcare, public services etc. but we can find very few complete examples which are successful in completing the loop. Hence service has to be design carefully considering each stake holders responsibilities and viabilities. Even we should have to think of the uncertainties which can fall into place time to time. Need to project future scenarios and work on those lines which will help in presuming the threat lying ahead. Readiness to accept the service by the user should be estimated by a participatory research to evaluate a competitiveness of the service and its profitability for the user. Research should be carried out in all various aspects; parallel model can be studied if required. Result of research and gather information will govern the future design directions.
Bibliography.
Social research methods, Lawrence Newman.
How to do research project. Colin Robinson.
M. Bhaskara Rao, Manja Prasek, Zeljko metelko, organization of diabetes health care in Indian rural areas, 2002
Mike Graves and Naresh Kumar Reddy, Electronic Support for Rural Health-care Worker.
WHO Technical Report Series 646, 1980. WHO Expert committee on diabetes mellitus: second report
Liam fennessy, Soumitri Varadarajan, Helen McLean, Working with communities: a case study of design for diabetes, 2007
Mont o.k, clarifying the concept of product-service system, Lund University.
Stahel WR, the limits to certainty: Facing risk in the new service economy, kluwer academic publishers, Dordrecht, 1989
Goedkoop MJ, van halen cjg, te riele hrm, rommens pjm, product service systems, ecological and economical basis, 1999
Rao Pv., http://diabetes-india.com
.
.
