Access to care is a contextual factor impinging on patient experience. Thus, it should be explored more often than not.
The healthcare system, because of its size and multiple types of stakeholders, is inherently complex. Is therefore not unimaginable that it should encounter roadblocks accomplishing its mission. In preparation for this note, I sought out to learn what challenges patients experience today vis a vis the healthcare system. Knowing so is important for healthcare stakeholders who are keen on hearing the voice of the patient.
The first thing I would like to share is that identifying patient challenges was not as straightforward a task as I imagined. Prompts about “patient challenges,” resulted in stories and reports of healthcare system challenges instead of patient-centered pain points. I could not escape the terrifying possibility that many of us supporting healthcare are more concerned about the healthcare system than we are about patients. Is the system forgetting its mission to serve the needs of patients?
After finally identifying some reports about patient challenges, one pain point becomes clear. It is becoming harder for patients to get the care they need. I am not referring to costs or insurance, but about availability. The American Association of Physician Associates issued a report in 20231 that found that 56% of adults had to wait more than a week for an appointment. On average, adults in the US spend eight hours every month coordinating healthcare. An article by Becker and Gamble2 points out the imbalance between the number of physicians entering the workforce and the growing demand for care.
As a healthcare market researcher, I get to speak with patients very often, and availability of care is a topic that has come up over the past few years. There is a perception that some healthcare appointments are harder to come by. Contextual factors do matter, and we must be tuned to their effect on how patients evaluate their care overall. For example, when studying experiences with particular breathing masks for continuous positive airflow pressure (CPAP) machines, it might not be a bad idea to inquire about access to specialists, machine components, or service appointments. Patients may inadvertently evaluate a medical device not only based on immediate experiences, but on how easy their care has been overall. To put things simpler, “bad service” could equal “bad product.”
Pressures may be mounting early in the patient journey, and teasing out how these pressures impact perceived experiences makes sense. In our work at RP Insights, we have found ways to accomplish this successfully. What we gain from this is greater certainty in the validity of opinions and more specific action plans. Our recommendation to research buyers is to always be on the lookout for context effects, both specific and cumulative, that might explain some study results.
References
- American Academy of Physician Associates. The Patient Experience: Perspectives on Today’s Healthcare. 2023. Accessed 2024 Mar 16. Available at: https://www.aapa.org/download/113513
- Becker S, Gamble M. 12 Healthcare Trends and Issues We are Following for [Internet]. 2024 2 Jan. Accessed 2024 Mar 16. Available at: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/strategy/12-healthcare-trends-and-issues-we-are-following-for-2024.html
