FOCUS ON THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE

The healthcare field is generally associated with stressful conditions since people visit the healthcare facility with a huge hope, like building castles in the air and dream of coming back in the pink of health. In spite of that, the healthcare professionals are the ones who are playing the main role in attending those people in need diligently yet empathetically in the auspicious and promising period of them waiting for full diagnosis and receiving the complete medical treatment.

As a matter of fact, since health is undeniably more precious than wealth, patients desperately seek treatment to ensure they can recover from an illness and get back on their feet again. Therefore, as healthcare professionals are directly involved in the process, we shall put ourselves in their shoes, treating them as part of our close family members and never embrace them as a source of income nor as strangers.

Afterhand, patients’ experience throughout their presence at the facility could be assessed in the area of the effectiveness of the medical care, treatment and preventive medicine received, plus patients’ safety and superior healthcare quality offered. Unfortunately, up to now many retailers failed to build loyalty programs which relevantly take advantage of the customers. Because of that, we apply an approach in which the ‘Service Quality Management’ team highly welcomes clients’ precious feedback and view of concerns, in order to improve the facilities of healthcare. For this reason, the expert team will meet up with the regular clients, analyze their experience while receiving the services, interrogate about clients’ desired services and foremostly boost their trust through loyalty programs.

The above mentioned is in line with that which was already proposed by Patrick Oben as in Journal ‘Understanding the Patient Experience’. According to him, data analysis on patients’ involvement in receiving clinical services must be optimized to produce customized bedside care, and to become a reference for establishing healthcare policy. Besides, it is useful for the purpose of boosting the quality and safety of medical care as well as promoting continuous improvements of the facility. Apart from that, the measurement systems should concentrate on patients’ experience in the aspect of physical, emotional, social and spiritual health.

Moreover, patients’ first impression and trust preceding the services are crucial issues to be focused on since it is true that patients’ loyalty always pays off. According to the Harvard Business Review, it costs a business 5-25 times higher, in terms of the capital and expenditures, to attract a new customer compared to selling services to an existing loyal one. In conjunction with that, referring to the Inc. Magazine, it showed that existing customers spend 67% more at the favored facilities than inexperienced customers. Absolutely, customer loyalty is the winner.

On the other hand, relevant services, health screening packages, and medical treatments offered must be imperatively appropriate to meet the current need and achieve clients’ desires. In accordance with The Loyalty Report in 2017, relevance symbolizes the clients experience as it signifies ‘If you know I am a man, never offer me for a mammogram’. This also applies to the updated diagnostic machine and high-end treatment tools. Due to the rapid advancement of highly technological approaches globally, it will definitely promise higher resolution, premium gadgets and super convenient procedures for the clients. This element also could aid in increasing the accuracy of a diagnosis and thus, clients’ satisfaction besides supporting the medical team expertise.

In short, patients – centric approach with combination of multidisciplinary clinical management has led to supreme patients’ trust and experience towards the healthcare provider.

Noratasha Aida Saidin

Audiologist

Kedah Medical Centre.