Angela’s patient experience and how healthcare providers can improve the whole patient journey
Customers naturally have expectations when it comes to service delivery - and patients are no different when it comes to healthcare.
In today’s advanced and technology-adaptive world, people demand efficient service everywhere, especially in medical services when, as a patient, they often feel the most vulnerable.
As such, healthcare providers must assess patient experiences and identify gaps to then adopt solutions that will improve the journey and make every healthcare interaction matter.
If not, patients go elsewhere – just like customers.
We sat down with a patient, Angela, from one of our Partner Agencies to discuss her recent poor experience in healthcare. Here’s her story and the key learnings.
Being an organised person, Angela is forever scheduling events and allocating specific time slots for all of her activities to ensure nothing ever gets missed. This is not only applicable to her job, but also to personal errands, including doctor appointments.
Speaking of which, she recently was a patient and had a disappointing experience booking and attending a medical clinic.
The beginning of the patient journey: booking an appointment
A patient’s journey begins long before physically stepping into a healthcare facility. It starts with booking the appointment.
Aware that there were limited slots to see her specialist, Angela called to book an appointment a couple of days ahead of her preferred schedule. Having experienced more convenient online booking systems for medical services in the past, this clinic only offered a manual call approach to book. So, she was frustrated with having to go back and forth on the phone to find a time for her clinic visit that matched her schedule.
“It was so dated having to go through such a manual process of going through calendars with the reception staff,” Angela said. “It took far too much of both of our time to find an appointment that worked.”
After some time, she was able to finally secure a lunchtime slot, mark the date in her calendar and attend on the day of the visit.
The next step of the patient journey: getting to the medical clinic
Having planned her day around the schedule and factoring in travel time, Angela took an hour off work and arrived at the clinic 10 minutes before her schedule.
Upon arriving, she felt a little lost and unwelcomed, without any idea of where to go or greeting – until she approached one of the clinic staff and informed them that she had an appointment booked. They told her to sit in the waiting room and simply wait.
However, over an hour had past her scheduled appointment time before she was called to see the doctor. On top of waiting for a long time, she had no idea as to the reason behind the wait or if she had been forgotten – a common worry for waiting patients.
Having allocated enough time for travel and the appointment, the sense of unknowing and frustration grew as the time crept into her work time.
“I was just sitting there, unaware of when I would be called for my appointment. In today’s world where technology is everywhere, there must have been a way to notify me of the delay ahead of my arrival so I could make better use of my time,” Angela shared.
By the time she got to the actual appointment, Angela was already stressed and anxious about being late for work, not knowing about the delay or the reason behind it.
“If they had told me the doctor was late, I would have brought my laptop to do work while just sitting there,” Angela said.
The final step of the patient journey: assessing struggles and how they could have been avoided
“The waiting room has always felt like a strange environment,” Angela added, “and now, because of COVID, there’s this heightened awareness and anxiety around being in places like this where you could potentially be exposed.”
The over 60-minute wait did not only mean coming back late to work, but also worrying about the risks of other illnesses from being in a waiting room for too long. For her, a more welcoming approach and being informed would have made the entire patient journey more far better.
“I understand that unforeseeable things can happen, but the communication component is totally controllable for staff. Had I known about the delay, I would have re-planned my day better,” Angela said.
In an industry where customer service is key, communication is a crucial factor that should never be overlooked. A simple notification often means the difference between letting people become frustrated or anxious in a waiting room versus feeling more relaxed before their doctor’s appointment.
While the healthcare industry has come a long way in terms of technology, poor experiences like this still exist today and show that there are still areas of improvement.
There is an easy way to improve patient experiences like Angela’s
It involves healthcare technology that can completely transform the patient experience for everyone. It’s a smart investment that streamlines the entire patient journey.
At NEXA, we understand the value of utilising technology to create better patient experiences for people just like Angela.
Whether you need an automated communication system to minimise prolonged and unnecessary wait times, a comprehensive solution to map out the entire patient journey or a way to collect feedback like this to improve your service, NEXA has the solution for you.
NEXA is an Australian company that delivers innovative digital solutions to empower both our clients and their employees by taking advantage of digital technology. With NEXA, you can support and enable your team, deliver excellent service levels and thrive in today’s evolving landscape.
So, are you ready to improve your patients’ experiences?
Talk to us today to find out how you can make your interactions matter.
