Indicators for evaluating service design inclusivity in the healthcare sector: A review of the literature

To foster a culture of inclusive care and patients-centred solutions in the healthcare sector, being able to assess the inclusivity of services is an essential step for enhancing the design and improvement of services. What are the key indicators of inclusive service design in the healthcare sector? Based on insights from the field of the built environment, a thematic analysis of the literature on service design in the context of healthcare, psychology, and public service design is conducted. Indicators extracted from the literature are structured into four categories: physical, sensorial, cognitive, and psycho-social, and according to two phases: service design and delivery. The resulting indicators, in conjunction with indicators from the EU Accessibility Act, can be utilized by designers as a comprehensive source of aspects for designing novel and existing services, and by scholars as a catalogue of indicators for evidence-based inclusive design to reimagine the healthcare sector.