Once our clinical immersion in Hospital Sant Joan de Déu ended, far from the warm of healthcare professionals we find the chilliest wind ever. Short after discovering unmet clinical needs was time to filter them. We classified the 400 observations in 4 major groups:
- Unnecessary unmet observation (20%):
Sometimes stretchers are parked in the middle of the corridor. Well… It is true, it is not the appropriate spot, but hospitals are really short of physical space. - Improvement report (30%):
Although Hospital Sant Joan de Déu is considered one of the best in its sector, there are always things to be done. For example: what is a pregnant woman on her 39th week doing during the 20 minutes NST*? We validated she has some doubts and worries. Then, she could stay reading gossip magazines or interacting with a device full of information capsules stored in Hospital’s cloud. - Scientific discovery required (5%):
Even if it could bring a lot, we have neither time nor resources to go further with that. An example of it? Paternity test without asking for permit. - Business opportunity (45%):
Here is where we are putting our effort, time and resources: asepsis, breastfeeding, episiotomy, urinary incontinence, External Cephalic Version, labor induction, heel prick screening test, vaginal examination, epidural anesthesia, menstrual pain and so on and so forth.
* Non-Stress test is performed to check the wellness of the fetus (through heartbeat) and the contractions of the mother.
Research was the next step to know about the size of the problem, the market and the economic impact. Research also plays a big role in entrepreneurship, often less fancy that it sounds. There were many paths: some cul-de-sac, some “I’d like to, but I can’t this time”, others you have to go and come back after discovering it was not THE way. What will be the last standing?
Although this phase can easily become bored, it has a clear benefit: boredom is also calm and relaxed; take advantage of it was absolutely necessary.
Agreeing that filtering and other periods are not the most exciting, it is also true that it produces even more passion: you’re already helping the future and you’re building your own luck!
Watch up, though! May the dark side be with you: uncertainty. It’s a partner with who you have to get used to. It’s insane, it’s threatening you as much as you think too further. Although having a clear vision will help you to know where are you going, advancing step by step is the way not to get overflowed. 
Guided lean launch pad (by Steve Blank) fits & feeds the process as the perfect tool to validate the observation. Just be aware, a “YES I WANT YOU TO SOLVE MY PROBLEM” doesn’t necessarily mean “YES I’m going to use any solution “. Humans are human and our job is to provide humanity with a necessary solution for a real unmet clinical problem.
We’re getting out of the maze.
We’re ready to jump into the world!
Is anybody there?
by Alexandre Casadevall Nierga on behalf of MedGo (@marinanocnir, @DianaGoGi & @AlexCasNi), d·HEALTH Barcelona.