(Re)envisioning the contribution of design to the sustainable transition of healthcare systems

The health emergency has challenged our health systems, stressing the weakest points but also revealing the strengths to be harnessed. Among these, the concern for the environmental, social and economic aspects of health systems – gathered under the heading of sustainable healthcare – has suffered a temporary setback but will certainly experience strong growth in the post-pandemic era. During 2018 and 2019, a collaborative foresight process on the future of sustainable healthcare was conducted with over 150 healthcare stakeholders. This paper starts from the strategies that emerged from the collaborative foresight to re-read them in light of the impacts of COVID-19 on health systems. A systematic literature review mapped the effects of the pandemic on the sustainable development of health systems and, therefore, on the defined strategies. Hence, the paper defines the connections with design disciplines and the possible contribution of designers in the development of sustainable healthcare in the post-pandemic era.