Patient Journey
Introduction
The “Patient Journey” is a powerful concept, focused on the many interactions between a typical patient and their healthcare system. If you have an excellent therapy that is highly effective in early-stage patients, but patients are only diagnosed and enter the healthcare system at a later stage, you need to know that early – it is an existential question for your therapy. If a patient is currently never admitted to in-patient care, but your proposed therapy would require in-patient care, you need to know that early. The Patient Journey paints a chronological picture of the key parts of your average patient’s experience with health care. Your job is to determine how best you can make that journey more successful.
What
The patient journey is the series of events that begins with the patient identifying their health issues and making the decision to address them, moves through the healthcare system (typically), and ends with the resolution or management of that issue.
When
This is the first step in conceptualization of a development plan. If you don’t know where your patient is going, or where they came from, no road will get you there.
Why
No therapy exists in a vacuum. Understanding when, where, and how your therapy will improve the patient’s experience requires thorough knowledge of the status quo.
Learning Goals
How to map a Patient Journey, and how to glean developmental insights from it.