Instead of addressing patient experience issues with simple post-visit surveys, some hospitals are beginning to assign multidisciplinary teams that utilize a number of qualitative measures over a period of weeks or months. Surveys, focus groups and observations are great ways to identify patterns and discover problems. A key to design thinking is quickly coming up with solutions and implementing them right away. They do not need to be perfect, but just observing how one potential solution works will help develop more ideas.
At the Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, the department of obstetrics and gynecology used design thinking to rethink prenatal care practices. After speaking with patients, they discovered how much importance was placed on the emotional side of care, and the hospital worked to create a greater sense of community for expectant mothers through online care communities moderated by nurses and other clinicians.
There is no black-and-white template for how to implement design thinking, but engaging patients closely and working within the loose confines of the model is an excellent way to begin ensuring your organization’s patient experience is as good as it can be.
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