InnovationUnit Japan

Hackathon

IntroductionThe MSF Japan Innovation Unit has explored different approaches to field-driven, need-based and human-centered innovation since 2015. We also took part in medical technology hackathons held by other actors, and found that the approach has potential for MSF. In 2017, we held our own ‘Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care’ and tailored the approach to best suit MSF’s needs. More than 60 people, from MSF and outside it, came together over a weekend to solve typical challenges our teams face when delivering surgical care in the field.

With huge enthusiasm and hard work, the teams delivered early prototypes and concepts that further demonstrated hackathons’ real potential for MSF operations.

In this booklet we summarize what a hackathon is, how MSF sections can organize them and what should happen afterwards.

Using our experience with the Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017, we want to increase interest in holding hackathons within MSF and beyond.

Contents

04 What is a hackathon?

06 How do we organize them?

14 What happens afterwards?

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Working with partners in the region, our unit supports MSF missions to identify solutions that save lives and alleviate our patients’ suffering.

Spot needs in the field – and innovate

Vision

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What is a hackathon?A hackathon is an intense event that brings together medical personnel, engineers, developers, businesspersons, designers and end-users to brainstorm and build innovative solutions to address challenges.

Starting from problem identification, teams of 3–6 members work on early stage prototypes within a fixed period of time (e.g. 48 hours).

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What do hackathons achieve?

Its aims vary depending on the context. Ours set two main objectives:

Innovative solutionsWe want to offer a place where participants meet and help MSF address challenges in humanitarian medical aid. Great solutions may not be developed within a weekend, but we’ve seen it kickstart some great innovations, with great people!

NetworkingMoreover, we want to bring people together from diverse backgrounds to share new ideas and opinions. A strong network is key to innovation.

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How do we organize them?

Identify organizers and partners

Who are the lead organizers and MCs? What about speakers, mentors, judges and volunteers?

Red boxes with this icon give examples from our Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017.

Our Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017 was organized by MSF Japan in partnership with Japan Biodesign Faculties. As an introduction, invited MSF surgeons spoke of their experience in the field. We gathered judges from various backgrounds (medical, business, design, etc).

Checklist

Identify organizers and partners

Choose a date and place

Pick a theme and challenges

Decide awards

Promotion

Logistics

Day of hackathon

Judging

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Choose a date and place

You will need a place big enough to accommodate your target number of participants, the organizing team, partners, with spaces for group work and refreshments.

Our target number of participants was 60 people. In total 57 participants came, as well as 18 organizers and partners.

Pick a theme and challenges

Picking a specific theme (e.g. Humanitarian Surgical Care) helps to prepare more focused challenges, which is essential for a successful hackathon. Preparing the challenge is a challenge itself, which needs to balance broad and specific problems. Desk research, data collection, and interviewing stakeholders will guide your analysis to pick the right challenges.

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We picked ‘Humanitarian Surgical Care’ as a theme because we identified it as a technical area with unmet needs: a perfect example of where MSF needs innovation. In addition, MSF Japan expat surgeons are well recognized in MSF and keen to support MSF while they are in Japan.

To identify challenges, we started with desk research. Then, we applied a qualitative approach: we interviewed surgical advisors and expats, analysed data and verified the findings. Once we selected several challenges, we collected additional information to save participant time during the hackathon and sent it to the participants in advance.

The six challenges for our hackathon were to find:

A way to provide affordable surgery head lamps adapted to humanitarian contexts

A way to drill bones in MSF surgical hospitals to perform safe bone surgery

A way to maintain surgical scissors and forceps (e.g. keeping them sharp) in the field, to reduce surgeons’ reliance on new supply arrivals

A way to enable MSF surgeons (including potential MSF surgeons) to obtain new skills to perform better and more types of surgeries in the field

A way to ensure appropriate observation of patients after surgery in MSF surgical hospitals so as not to miss critical condition change of the patients

A way to treat burn patients in appropriate environments in MSF fields and reduce the risk of infection

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Decide awards

An award is an important way to motivate participants. However a monetary reward may not be necessary.

MSF Japan offered ‘full support’ for project management after the hackathon. This includes monetary support for materials, technical and clinical advice, as well as field trials and implementation.

Promotion

How to gather talented participants, mentors, judges, volunteers? How to publicize the event?

We used our network in Japan to call for participants. Having a powerful partner, Biodesign Japan, attracted many talented professionals from the medical technology industry. We opened the application process two months in advance. We also advertised it through the MSF Japan website, Facebook and Twitter.

Logistics

Venue set up, equipment, supplies, prototyping materials, etc.

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Day of hackathon

The day of a hackathon should be well framed, organized and supported. Mentoring and a clear format are key to success.

MentorsWe had 6 mentors for 10 teams for Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017. Mentors ensured that the team would not jump into a solution without analyzing the needs properly.

Challenge pitchChallenges were presented as scenarios.

Group presentationWe encouraged the teams to present their project as a story. Within a short period (4–5min) they needed to express the need, solution, its impact and feasibility.

Opposite: the flow of Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017.

Presentation of theme

Group formation and assigning mentors

Challenge pitch

Group work

Group Presentation

Closed judging session

Announcing award-winners

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Schedule: Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017

Day 29:00 Group work12:00 Pre-presentation13:00 Lunch Group work16:00 Presentation

of each group17:30 Award and Q&A18:00 Closing18:30 Drinks and networking

Day 19:00 Introduction9:15 Hack 1019:45 Presentation Video: ‘What is MSF’ ‘Humanitarian Surgical Care’10:45 Break11:00 Challenge pitch12:00 Group formation13:00 Lunch14:00 Group work (Analysis,

Concepts, Prototyping)16:30 Bingo and break17:00 Group work19:00 Dinner and networking Continue group work...

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Judging

How to decide the winner? What are the criteria to assess the projects? Open vote by everyone or closed judgement session with judges?

At Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017, we used three judging criteria.

• Originality: Is it a new and creative idea?• Impact: Does it impact the lives of people in a

significant way in places where MSF works?• Viability: Can it be done?

We gave awards to four projects, within three categories:

• Incremental• Process• Blue-sky

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Incremental Innovation Award

Luminance: An affordable headlamp with adequate lighting focus for surgery using modern LED technology. It might even replace an expensive standing surgical lamp in the future!

MeDrill: An electric surgical drill is expensive and often not available in

MSF, forcing hospitals to resort to inefficient hand drills. MeDrill is

a drill cover which enables any DIY drill for surgical use.

Process Innovation Award

Papillion Tag: Using scissors which are not sharp enough to cut well is a very common frustration of MSF surgeons. A tag identification system allows to sort scissors according to sharpness. Scissors which do not cut well are removed from the operation room supply system and are not in reach of a surgeon in the theatre.

Blue-sky Innovation Award-

Team Scanning Eye: Patients monitoring after surgery is a challenge

in some MSF hospitals. This state- of-the-art monitoring camera device

monitors several vital signs and the data is shown on a smartphone or tablet.

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What happens afterwards?Innovative solutions and networks that are created on the day are too precious to stop at the hackathon. Work with the winning teams to support and move their project forward.

After the Hackathon for Humanitarian Surgical Care 2017, most teams needed to go back to the ‘Identify’ phase. One team had a clear need statement and started improving their first prototype. Projects involve iterative processes throughout.

ImplementIdentify Incubate Ideate

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We provide consultancy services to other MSF offices or missions.

We also offer: • Support to projects, missions

and HQ to identify needs and develop potential solutions

• Trainings and workshop on innovation methods for national and international staff.

Contact

Email: innovation@tokyo.msf.org Phone: +81 3 5286 6123

Office: MSF Japan, 3rd Floor 1-1 Babashitacho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-0045

Want to organize a hackathon? Contact us!

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InnovationUnit Japan