Tips for using a Diary Study for Patient Experience Research
At the intersection of patient-centred care and patient experience research sits a diverse array of research methodologies. Quantitative techniques and tools, such as, patient satisfaction surveys are often embedded in the fabric of understanding patient experiences - both within and outside of the hospital/clinic setting. Qualitative methodologies such as patient diary studies however allow you to do a you a more contextual deeper dive into the lives of patients.
Indeemo Patient Diary Study Tool
Qualitative research methods allow you to uncover in-the-moment problems and needs and help shine a spotlight on real world patient experience. Often, we are able to identify real world problems through qualitative research - and this is nothing new to patient experience research, and patient experience management.
Making the mistake of designing solutions to problems that do not exist, or designing the wrong solutions altogether, is not too uncommon in healthcare and tele-health. In fact, it is a concern that arises again and again across UX and service design communities.
Diary studies are a powerful tool for researching patient experiences
At Indeemo, we are seeing this more across the healthcare sector. Designers, thinkers, researchers, and decision makers are increasingly looking at new ways to do two things. First, to gain a deeper understanding of their patients, through empathy, and to become more patient-centric when designing new products or making improvements to patient experiences. Second, to identify actual problems within their service that negatively impact patient experience.
So, where do healthcare experience design teams and decision makers go to ensure they become patient-centric, build empathy, and uncover real-world patient problems? Leveraging qualitative research, conducting a Diary Study (or in this case, a patient diary study) has become one of the most sought after qualitative techniques to address these two objectives.
The what, why, who, where, when and how of patient experience research
When integrating a Diary Study to understand patient experience, one issue that often arises concerns the precision of questions asked of research participants. With a patient diary study, the aim is to empower your research participants by allowing them to be open and honest with you, the researcher. Whilst we seek the most accurate and true to life data, we should be cautious. Cautious how? For one, we can sometimes fall into the trap of asking straightforward binary questions. This can result in us not capturing the insights we require.
Although many experienced qualitative and quantitative researchers can design their research exceptionally well, it is always a possibility that you can spend too much time thinking about questions that your research participants will not find overburdensome. In doing so, we lose sight of our objective. The main tip here is to consider the what, how, why, who, where, when, and how of tasking/question design. This will give greater flexibility in your analysis, and again, empowers your research participants.
Indeemo User Diary Tool
Be agile; conduct a pilot Patient Diary Study and iterate
It is always wise to test out your research protocol. In line with what is described above, it is important to ensure that the questions you ask of research participants make sense - and that they are not overburdensome. In this case, it recommended that you conduct a pilot study. In some cases this is easier said than done, and is mostly dependent on the research objective and the personas you are targeting.
For instance, pilot testing a diary study that focuses on inpatient hospital experiences may not work well when your test study is with work colleagues. However, a strong alternative is to get a diverse team in your organisation to review the research design. Their input will help. If you are afforded the opportunity to conduct a pilot study, then the outcome should inform further iterations to your design. Where possible, iterate and be agile.
Leverage patient diary study apps
Diary Study tools have evolved significantly, and have come a long way from traditional use of pen and paper. Twenty years ago, technological advancements saw the use of palm pilots to enhance diary studies. Nowadays mobile technology enables us to capture data more seamlessly, and in real time. This means that research participants do not need to reflect on their experiences over the previous day and make long-winded diary entries. Where diary study tools harness the power of mobile technology there are many benefits.
First, and often the most important, is retention of research participants. By using diary study tools that are embedded into mobile technology, makes commitment to your research easier for participants. There can be a sense of gamification by using a mobile diary study app. In addition, you will be capturing insights in real time. This means that you decrease the risk of losing important information reported by your participants, where this would be a likelihood in the case of using traditional diary study tools.
Capture patient experiences in-the-moment
Second, the extent of insights you uncover, and the level of detail that emerges through the use of a diary study tool increases significantly. How? Adopting technology for a diary study provides you with a range of data types that can be acquired. A mobile diary study app will usually allow your healthcare research participants to make an in-the-moment account of their experiences, or document their behaviours with the use of photographs, video diaries, text. And becoming more and more prevalent in this digital care / telehealth era, mobile screen recording.
So with this in mind, our idea of a diary study is not just limited to pen to paper at the end of the day. Instead, diary studies can be exceptionally useful when research participants show you their environment, who they interact with, and what conditions impact their experiences with your product or service.
Maximising Patient Experience Research with a Multi-Method Approach
Integrating Diary Studies into a Comprehensive Research Strategy
While diary studies provide invaluable insights into patient experiences, their potential is magnified when integrated into a multi-method research approach. This approach combines the contextual depth of diary studies with other qualitative methods, such as follow-up interviews or focus groups. By doing so, researchers can leverage the in-the-moment insights captured in diary entries to inform and enrich subsequent discussions, providing a more holistic understanding of patient experiences.
Leveraging Diary Study Insights in Follow-Up Research
The detailed accounts captured in patient diary studies serve as a foundation for deeper exploration in follow-up interviews and focus groups. Researchers can use these diary entries to pinpoint specific areas of interest, explore emerging themes, or clarify patient experiences. This subsequent phase of research allows for a deeper dive into patient behaviours, attitudes, and needs, thereby enriching the overall research findings.
How Indeemo Can Help with Video Import
Indeemo’s latest video import capability is a game-changer for integrating diary studies with other research methods. Researchers can now effortlessly upload, transcribe, and store data from follow-up interviews and focus groups alongside diary study data. This seamless integration ensures that all patient insights – from diary entries to detailed discussions – are centralised on the Indeemo platform, simplifying data management and analysis.
Comprehensive Data Analysis with Indeemo’s Generative AI
The true value of integrating diary studies with other research methods is realised in the analysis phase. Indeemo’s generative AI research assistant offers a powerful tool for analyzing diverse data sets. Whether it’s transcribed interviews, focus group discussions, or diary entries, the AI assistant can perform complex analyses like sentiment analysis, thematic breakdowns, and in-depth pattern recognition. This level of analysis enables researchers to identify correlations and gain a comprehensive understanding of patient experiences.
The Advantage of a Multi-Method Approach
Adopting a multi-method approach, provides a richer and more nuanced understanding of patient experiences. It allows healthcare researchers to validate and expand upon the insights gathered from diary studies, ensuring a thorough exploration of patient needs and experiences. This integrated approach not only enriches the quality of the insights but also empowers healthcare providers to develop more patient-centric care solutions and services.
Incorporating diary studies into a multi-method research framework, complemented by Indeemo’s innovative platform, represents a significant advancement in patient experience research. This approach ensures a comprehensive exploration of patient experiences, capturing both the spontaneous moments of diary entries and the reflective insights of interviews and focus groups. By embracing this integrated strategy, healthcare researchers and providers can gain a deeper understanding of patient needs, leading to more effective and empathetic patient care.
What is a Diary Study?
Indeemo Founder & CEO Eugene Murphy describes a Diary Study and the different context this qualitative research methodology can be applied.
Let us support your patient experience research
We’ve supported hundreds of healthcare research projects covering everything from vaccine journey diaries to concept testing with HCPs to mapping the patient journey of kidney transplant patients.
If you’d like to discuss a specific patient experience research project or are just curious to learn more, get in touch now.
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