From Lived Experience to Innovation: How Personal Insights Drive Innovations for Health
James Dennis Allen
Health Innovation Technician, Post-Doctoral Researcher and Lecturer
Health innovation is not solely the domain of scientists and engineers; many ground-breaking ideas emerge from individuals with lived experience of healthcare challenges. These people—patients, carers, and frontline healthcare professionals—bring unique insights into unmet needs and practical solutions that traditional research and development teams might overlook. In the UK, a culture of grassroots innovation has flourished, thanks to initiatives that encourage and support those with lived experience to transform their ideas into impactful health products.
The Role of Lived Experience in Health Innovation
Lived experience provides a critical lens through which gaps in healthcare can be identified. Those directly affected by a health challenge or working closely with patients often understand the real-world problems that need solving. They also bring practical, user-centred ideas that resonate with patients and healthcare providers alike.
For example, a carer supporting a loved one with a chronic illness may develop innovative ways to manage care routines more effectively, or a nurse frustrated by cumbersome equipment may create a solution to improve workflow and patient safety.
Why Lived Experience Matters
The healthcare system often grapples with solutions designed in isolation from real-world challenges. Products and systems that arise from lived experience, however, are inherently grounded in practicality, empathy, and a deep understanding of user needs. This ensures not only better outcomes but also faster adoption by those they are meant to serve.
By listening to and supporting individuals with first-hand knowledge of healthcare challenges, the UK is fostering a vibrant innovation ecosystem that benefits patients, professionals, and the wider health system.
How Lived Experience Sparked the Journey of Local Innovators
The story of Paxman Cooling is a testament to how personal experience can inspire meaningful health innovation. It began when the Paxman family faced the distressing reality of hair loss caused by chemotherapy. Witnessing the emotional impact on a loved one undergoing treatment, they were determined to find a solution.
Drawing on their background in refrigeration, the family collaborated with healthcare professionals to refine scalp cooling technology. They worked with experts at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC) and the University of Huddersfield to develop a system that precisely cooled the scalp, reducing hair loss during chemotherapy.
Today, the Paxman Scalp Cooling System is used worldwide, empowering thousands of cancer patients to face treatment with confidence and dignity. Their journey shows how lived experience, combined with innovation and determination, can transform healthcare.
Lived experience is a person's personal knowledge and understanding of their experiences, choices, and options. It can be first-hand or come from caring for someone with a condition. In innovation, lived experience can be a valuable resource for creating better healthcare solutions:?
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Involving people with lived experience in research can help ensure that solutions meet the needs of those they are intended to help.
Including people with lived experience in policy development can help policymakers understand problems and possible solutions.
People with lived experience can help develop services and programs by working in partnership with organisations.
People with lived experience can bring important perspectives to mental healthcare and innovation.
Here at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre we provide a collaborative environment that supports businesses and entrepreneurs in developing innovative products and services. We house all the key player machines for Additive Manufacturing that are set to significantly grow in the health care market. We also offer access to advanced facilities, including prototyping labs and expertise in research and development. The centre has long standing links with academia and industry, facilitating knowledge exchange, and nurturing ideas from concept to commercialisation.
Learn more About The 3M BIC
At the Huddersfield Health Innovation Partnership we also emphasise collaboration among healthcare professionals, businesses, and researchers to drive innovation in health and wellbeing. We have many opportunities for networking, sharing knowledge, and accessing resources that can facilitate the development of new health technologies and solutions. The platform aims to build a strong community dedicated to enhancing healthcare delivery and improving patient outcomes through innovation.
If you're interested in sharing an idea or project aimed at advancing the health innovation sector, we would love to hear from you.