The way in which healthcare patients engage with their providers has evolved. Patients are in the drivers’ seat more now than ever, being in charge of how, when, and where they engage with medical providers. This complexity can be extremely helpful for the patient themselves as care meets them where they are, however, this also creates a more intricate web of care that needs to be explored to optimize offers.
In our experience designing journey explorations with our clients there are key callouts we have learned to help make journey explorations as effective as possible and build patient engagement:
1.     Start with a hypothesis, but keep an open mind
Starting with initial hypotheses helps to format approach and specifically what needs to be explored. The initial hypotheses are often used to build the internal journey and map to be tested. However, as important as it is to come in with some ideas in mind, you want to ensure that you are open to taking in and hearing everything from patients—the good, the bad and the ugly. Facing realities – whether positive or negative—are important to building more positive and efficient processes.
2.     Do not be afraid to pivot
Going hand in hand with an open mind, it is also important that as you move through a journey exploration you remain open to evolving and changing approaches as needed based on learnings. Starting with a versatile program at the very start helps to build the flexibility that is needed. In our experiences, when coming across unexpected findings we have modified patient questions and/or added a deep dive phase to further explore needs and pain points.
3.     Lead with a human touch
It is important to remember that in exploring patient journeys you are often evaluating very intimate and personal experiences. In doing so emotions can be stirred and it is imperative to maintain empathy and a truly human touch. Follow the lead of the patients themselves, allowing them to walk through experiences as it is relevant to them. By remaining receptive and empathetic you can gain more from patients as they draw on their experiences.
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We are passionate about guiding journey explorations and designing programs that speak to the direct needs of our clients. Want to learn more?
Reach out at hello@empatixconsulting.com
By: Amber McCullough, VP Strategy + Insights