Patient Centered Design
It's a term that's being heard more often now than ever ... 'the patient experience.' With the advent of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, the first standardized publicly reported survey of patient perspectives regarding healthcare, it is obvious that the healthcare industry is bent on creating the best 'patient experience' possible. But what does this mean, and what is involved in creating a great patient experience? Put simply, it means standing in your patients' shoes and viewing your medical office from their perspective. Imagine you're the patient. When you walk into the doors of your Bellevue medical office, what feelings does it invoke? Is it a cold place to be? Does it make you nervous and agitated, only adding to your anxiety about having to see the doctor? Or does it feel warm and inviting, with comfortable chairs, soothing color schemes, and pleasant and considerate staff who help to put your fears to rest?
Doctors and hospitals are arranging meetings and conferences the world over solely focused on creating a better patient experience. In all of these, the bottom line seems to be empathy. If you look through the eyes of your patients, standing in the shoes of a brand new visitor through the doors of your medical office, you'll gain fresh perspective and a whole new understanding of how it feels to be a patient. From the moment patient’s step into your office, they need to feel confident and comfortable. From the color of the walls, to the comfort of the furniture, to the customer service provided by the staff and healthcare professionals, your patients need to feel that you care about them and will treat them with the respect they deserve. Remember that your patients are people first, then patients. They are veterans of foreign wars who stormed the Beach at Normandy, parachuted from planes, saved lives, and longed for home. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, teachers, truck drivers, and writers who have worked hard and achieved in their lives prior to becoming your patients. They are moms and dads, wives and husbands, sisters, brothers, and children of parents who care deeply about them. They're nervous about walking through your doors, and they desperately need you to treat them kindly and respectfully.
So what do your patients see when they step into your office for the first time? And more importantly, what do they feel? Do your new patients feel warm and welcomed? What's the atmosphere like in your office? Is it cold and clinical, or is it pleasing and harmonious? Does the color scheme add to a patient's anxiety? Or does it evoke feelings of confidence and comfort? Is the furniture easy and accessible? Does the artwork help to pull together a feeling of warmth, or does it only add to patients' anxieties? It is vital that everything in your medical office works together to be conducive to the most positive patient experience possible. Furniture must be comfortable and satisfying. Color schemes must be favorable and reassuring. Staff must be empathetic. Healthcare professionals must be compassionate.
What about the exam areas? Are they rigid and unfriendly? If you were sitting on your examination table being evaluated, studied, scanned, how would you feel about the atmosphere? Is there clutter that can subliminally lessen a patient's confidence in your professional abilities? And what about your staff? Staff at a medical office must be highly customer-service oriented. And healthcare providers must be able to place themselves in the shoes of patients in order to treat them with optimal empathy and care.
Viewing your medical office from a patient's perspective ... that's the essence of 'the patient experience.' How would you feel walking into your office, looking around, sitting in the waiting area, coming into contact with staff and healthcare professionals? How would it make you feel to experience the same reality your patients are experiencing? In today's complicated healthcare industry, it's vital that you sincerely assess your medical office's environment, your healthcare staff, and the customer service afforded every patient. If you're interested in gaining more insight into the first impression your medical office is providing patients, contact a commercial contractor in your Seattle area for an objective assessment.
Doctors and hospitals are arranging meetings and conferences the world over solely focused on creating a better patient experience. In all of these, the bottom line seems to be empathy. If you look through the eyes of your patients, standing in the shoes of a brand new visitor through the doors of your medical office, you'll gain fresh perspective and a whole new understanding of how it feels to be a patient. From the moment patient’s step into your office, they need to feel confident and comfortable. From the color of the walls, to the comfort of the furniture, to the customer service provided by the staff and healthcare professionals, your patients need to feel that you care about them and will treat them with the respect they deserve. Remember that your patients are people first, then patients. They are veterans of foreign wars who stormed the Beach at Normandy, parachuted from planes, saved lives, and longed for home. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, teachers, truck drivers, and writers who have worked hard and achieved in their lives prior to becoming your patients. They are moms and dads, wives and husbands, sisters, brothers, and children of parents who care deeply about them. They're nervous about walking through your doors, and they desperately need you to treat them kindly and respectfully.
So what do your patients see when they step into your office for the first time? And more importantly, what do they feel? Do your new patients feel warm and welcomed? What's the atmosphere like in your office? Is it cold and clinical, or is it pleasing and harmonious? Does the color scheme add to a patient's anxiety? Or does it evoke feelings of confidence and comfort? Is the furniture easy and accessible? Does the artwork help to pull together a feeling of warmth, or does it only add to patients' anxieties? It is vital that everything in your medical office works together to be conducive to the most positive patient experience possible. Furniture must be comfortable and satisfying. Color schemes must be favorable and reassuring. Staff must be empathetic. Healthcare professionals must be compassionate.
What about the exam areas? Are they rigid and unfriendly? If you were sitting on your examination table being evaluated, studied, scanned, how would you feel about the atmosphere? Is there clutter that can subliminally lessen a patient's confidence in your professional abilities? And what about your staff? Staff at a medical office must be highly customer-service oriented. And healthcare providers must be able to place themselves in the shoes of patients in order to treat them with optimal empathy and care.
Viewing your medical office from a patient's perspective ... that's the essence of 'the patient experience.' How would you feel walking into your office, looking around, sitting in the waiting area, coming into contact with staff and healthcare professionals? How would it make you feel to experience the same reality your patients are experiencing? In today's complicated healthcare industry, it's vital that you sincerely assess your medical office's environment, your healthcare staff, and the customer service afforded every patient. If you're interested in gaining more insight into the first impression your medical office is providing patients, contact a commercial contractor in your Seattle area for an objective assessment.