The Healthtech Podcast #414 Olivia Burns from Hypoplas: What Startups Get So Wrong About ‘Patient-Centric’ Design
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Sep 10, 2025 Olivia Burns, Founder of Hypoplas, is on a mission to revolutionize hospital gowns for sustainability and dignity. She shares her journey from living with a congenital heart condition to creating patient-centric designs. The conversation dives into the importance of including patient voices in healthcare innovation and the ethical implications of treatment experiences. Olivia also highlights how empowering patients can enhance healthcare outcomes and discusses the critical role of a Chief Patient Officer in bridging patient insights with AI technologies.
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A Patient Who Dresses To Preserve Identity
- James recounts his father refusing to wear a gown after neck surgery and instead staying fully dressed for visits.
- Olivia links that behavior to pride and the extra cognitive burden placed on recovering patients.
Lived Experience Bridges Data Gaps
- Lived experience fills clinical data gaps by revealing the real patient journey outside snapshots of care.
- Health tech and systems miss value if they ignore recovery, self-management and daily-life context at home.
Tokenism Versus True Patient Partnership
- Olivia is fortunate to blend into professional spaces and recognises industry often selects similar 'presentable' patients.
- She warns healthcare still treats patient involvement tokenistically and needs genuine partnership culture change.