Applying Design-Thinking Principles to Practice-Based Pharmacy Research

Design thinking is an approach to problem solving that focuses on a solution to a problem. This systematic approach can be applied to practice-based research or implementation projects in your practice setting. It may be useful for starting new projects as well as revisiting past projects that may not have yielded meaningful results. The design-thinking process begins with identifying a problem or knowledge gap and then the steps include: (1) understanding the problem, (2) observing the problem, (3) defining the problem, (4) brainstorming possible solutions, (5) prototyping the best solution, and (6) testing the solution.