The Healthtech Podcast #414 Olivia Burns from Hypoplas: What Startups Get So Wrong About ‘Patient-Centric’ Design
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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Founder’s Lived-Experience Origin Story
- Olivia was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and underwent three open-heart surgeries as a child.
- She later studied fashion and used her lived experience to redesign the hospital gown and launch Hypoplas.
Gown Design Is A Systemic Problem
- The hospital gown problem spans patients, clinicians and procurement, creating inefficiency, waste and financial holes.
- Fixing design can reduce clinical friction, double-gowning, textile waste and hidden system costs.
Dignity Lost In A Corridor
- Olivia describes the trauma of a young girl walked to theatre in a see-through gown and surrounded by strangers.
- She contrasts that with elderly or proud patients who lose dignity instantly when forced into the same apparel.