Stakeholder engagement using Photovoice in innovation: A case study on patients with asthma to identify challenges and enablers of Asthma Care

Introduction: Photovoice is recognised as a creative research method that encourages reflection and introspection. However, few studies have described the use of photovoice as a stakeholder engagement approach to develop innovation. This case study discusses the implementation of photovoice as an approach to explore the experiences of patients with asthma to identify challenges and enablers of asthma care in an innovation workshop Method: Patients and healthcare providers (HCWs) participated in the workshop. HCWs were tasked to identify the challenges and enablers of asthma care via patient sharing. Two patients with asthma shared their experiences with asthma using photovoice. The use of photovoice followed a four-stage process: (1) Pre-workshop training on photovoice (2) Photo-taking task (3) Discussion about taken photographs (4) Showcasing the photographs at the workshop. Results: The participants identified the challenges in asthma care; managing triggers, inhaler treatments, executing the asthma action plan, inconvenience when travelling, social issues, fulfilling personal responsibilities, affect on hobbies, psychosocial aspects and challenges faced by HCWs. The enablers included understanding the asthma triggers and motivation. Conclusion: Photovoice enabled rich descriptions of patients' perspectives via a combination of photo images and dialogues. This case study provides strong support for the use of photovoice as a creative approach to better illuminate and understand the experiences of patients and can inform the design of future innovation processes.