Design for co-responsibility: connecting patients, partners, and professionals in bariatric lifestyle changes

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Most health technologies to support lifestyle changes after bariatric (weight-loss) surgery are aimed at the individual patient. However, lifestyle changes cannot be done in isolation, but are a co-responsibility between patient, Health Care Professionals (HCPs), and the social context; most dominantly the partner. We want to investigate the potential value of an intelligent ecosystem that is designed for this co-responsibility. We present a clinical trial following an explorative data-enabled approach. We deploy an ecosystem consisting of data trackers and personalized coaching interventions with six patients and their partners. Based on various use cases, we identify six ways in which designing for co-responsibility can bring value: by (1) identifying the right intervention, (2) assessing the effectiveness of the intervention, (3) allowing patients to seek support when needed, (4) awareness of co-responsibilities within the couple (5) helping the partner in understanding how to be of help, and (6) preventative care.