Why Empathy + Consumerism = Innovation in Hospital Patient Care

By Nitin Goyal, MD, Founder & CEO at Pulse Platform. Originally published on Quora.

When people walk into a hospital or doctor’s office, they think of themselves as a patient — a position lacking control.

They’re in a foreign environment, and that makes them uncomfortable. Something is likely wrong. So wrong that they need help from a professional.

In many ways, that unease is due to their lack of knowledge and education about what’s going on. The disease, the costs, the timeframes — they’re all very opaque to the patient.

And although patients are consumers, there’s a disparity between the two.

Why?

Because being a consumer is incredibly different from being a patient.

As a patient, you lack true control, which increases fear and vulnerability.

It’s comparable to going to the mechanic for car trouble. Most of us experience anxiety in the mechanic’s front office because we have little to no knowledge about cars, about the problem, or about the real cost of the work. We feel powerless. We don’t have control.

When we find a good mechanic we trust, we go to them exclusively. Now, imagine having that same situation, but the problem is not your car — it’s your body. Obviously, that powerless feeling is magnified.

Doctors aren’t mechanics, I know. But there’s one important similarity between entering the realm of healthcare and the mechanic’s shop.

People feel like they’ve lost control, and treating them like consumers helps establish control. That’s where empathetic consumerism comes into play.

The Consumer-Patient Relationship

Patients are consumers, whether they’re treated that way or not.

They go to their provider for a service, pay for that service, and expect it to solve their issue.

That’s a consumer.

Think of it this way: Healthy people are similar to powerful consumers. They can go to the store for an item and choose exactly what they want. They know the price of the item and the next steps. Pay for it, take it home, use it. They’re in control of the situation every step of the way.

On the other hand, people with an illness have to visit a doctor for more information. Suddenly, that person is a patient. They’re still a consumer, but they’ve undergone a transformation. They’re now in a new — and often nerve-wracking — situation that makes them feel vulnerable.

Almost immediately, power is taken away. They have no control over their illness or what their doctor decides to do about it. They likely have little to no knowledge about what’s happening to them and how it’s going to affect their life. At that moment, their fear is highest, while they simultaneously feel an almost total loss of control. We need to change that.

Education As Control

We can give patients more control to help them feel less vulnerable during tough times.

We can help them feel more like consumers and less like patients.

It all starts with education and information, which always gives a greater feeling of control. If you’re knowledgeable about your disease and understand the treatment, you’re more likely to handle it well. You have some control over the situation. The next steps are clear and seem less daunting.

Imagine when patients leave the hospital after surgery — they’re still in a vulnerable position. What are their next steps? When should they start feeling better? Should they make an appointment if they have a question?

In these situations, an interactive digital health tool can educate patients and provide them with the necessary answers. It’s an opportunity to educate patients, give them some control, and decrease fear and vulnerability.

Innovation Through Empathetic Consumerism

An empathetic digital touch is exactly what we need in healthcare.

Yet we tend to think of a digital experience as something separate from the human touch. But digital tools are most powerful when it preserves and enhances the human experience.

There are also many interactions that don’t happen that should. Right now, we could have better communication, education, and empathy for patients. This where digital health platforms have a real opportunity to improve healthcare. By capturing what we love about human interactions, we can return patients’ confidence. We can give patients back some control they experience as consumers, without taking away the meaningful relationships between patients and physicians.

Digital health is going to change every patient touchpoint in some way. But empathy, combined with consumerism, is a future we should strive for. And while taking your car to the shop will probably still give you some anxiety, my hope is that feeling will eventually disappear when walking into a doctor’s office.

By Nitin Goyal, MD, Founder & CEO at Pulse Platform. Originally published on Quora.

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