"How can I humanize the health care experience?" is the question Bridget Duffy, former Chief Experience Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, answers in her Gel Health 09 conference talk, in which she shares her inspiring approach to creating, nurturing, and maintaining an optimal patient experience both within the health care system and in an individual's overall living environment. If you have 27 minutes to spare, click the link above and listen to Duffy's talk; it's practical, inspiring, and will encourage you to be part of the effort to transform the patient experience.
Much of what Duffy advocates for improving and optimizing patient experience is to simply implement compassionate, humane interaction amongst all the "actors" in the system. Her observations of the intake process at a typical ER reception desk illustrate the lack of humanity displayed in many ER reception desks.
"What are you asked when you, as a patient, approach the ER desk upon arrival?" How often does someone say to you, "You seem to be in pain; how can we help you?" Imagine how the ER experience could be transformed with that sense of care from the first interaction. Instead, most folks approaching the ER desk hear something akin to the following: "Do you have insurance?"
Duffy's talk at the prior year's Gel Health conference focused on the need for an optimized patient gown (can you visualize the last time you had a gown on and how undignified it felt?).
Bridget Duffy's work illustrates the effectiveness of both listening to and observing the customer/patient in the health care environment. The rest of the lineup at this year's Gel (Good Experience Live) Health conference have some terrific stories to share too. Conference organizer and host Mark Hurst brought together an incredible group of people who focus on the design of systems, processes, and environments. Take a look.
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