Patient Journey Mapping as a tool for Healthcare Research
Context
Due to the pandemic, it has been increasingly difficult to get in-person research activated with hard to reach groups like patients or caregivers (although that is now changing).
Brands and healthcare research consultancies are increasingly turning to remote research methods like digital ethnography (also known as mobile or online ethnography) to conduct qualitative, healthcare research safely.
Mobile Ethnography as a tool for patient journey mapping
Indeemo’s mobile ethnography platform enables researchers to create tasks and activities that can be assigned to each patient. This typically takes the form of a longitudinal symptom diaries / week in the life diary studies where patients capture photos, videos, screen recordings and notes about symptoms, diet and treatment regimes.
The richness of the data that is captured plus the fact that this is a private 1-1 interaction between a patient and a healthcare researcher means that the insights that are surfaced can be much more revealing than traditional approaches such as focus groups or in-depth interviews.
Furthermore, the fact that the research is longitudinal gives the researcher and longer time frame to build rapport and trust with each patient and therefore get more revealing insights.
“Mobile Ethnography is really about patients being in their comfort zone. We want the authentic self to come true, or come through. Like I said, in the past, we think of our role as truth tellers. And one of the ways that I’ve found that you can get to that truth is when you start to pick up on visual cues. There’s just something different that you can look and see when someone’s talking to you in that moment that it just connects, you feel like this is a true moment.”
What is patient journey mapping in healthcare?
A patient journey relates to the various touchpoints on a patient’s healthcare journey. This can include disease diagnosis, treatment occasions and interactions with healthcare providers.
Mapping the entire patient journey provides insight into the patient experience from their perspective. This raw and rich view allows brands to understand how and when to speak to patients and what products and messages would best resonate.
Responses submitted via photo and video bring to life the patient journey and provide unparalleled access into each individual's experience. The ability to rate each interaction along the journey provides a graphical representation of the highs and lows of their patient journey. This can be used to understand pain, symptoms and the effects of treatments over time, as well as for assessing telehealth digital experiences as well as to understand omnichannel patient journeys.
The goal of the process is to help improve patient outcomes by gaining insights as to the patient experience from their perspective.
Patient Journey Mapping using Mobile Ethnography
Using the Journey Mapping features in research platforms like Indeemo, Mobile ethnography enables researchers to gain the same benefits of in-depth in-person observations, but from the comfort of the patient’s own home, and without the need for the researcher to be physically present. You are thus able to generate patient insights in a more efficient, safer and more cost-effective way than traditional approaches.
The Indeemo App offers a range of different possibilities, for example, patients can use the rating capability to capture ratings on a 5 point scale quantifying their pain levels or experiences at different moments.
Moderators can interact with patients and respondents privately (again in a contactless manner) using push notifications.
Finally, as a researcher, all the data is collated on an insights dashboard including the video-rich footage so you can see the results in real-time.
“When I think about mobile ethnography research, and its role within my healthcare firm, it is really presenting a unique opportunity for us to get insight into what’s really going on in the patient’s home. ”
Benefits of Mobile Ethnography for Healthcare Patient Journey Mapping
1/ Remote Research Methodology
Given patients use their SmartPhones to capture data there is no need for in-person interviews. From a safety perspective, mobile ethnography allows healthcare researchers to conduct research in the moment / in context from the patient's own homes as a form of contactless research which removes the risk for vulnerable patients.
2/ Private and Secure
Patients are comfortable talking about health-related issues when they are recording selfie videos. You are getting a ringside seat in a context where sensitive topics can be discussed without the patient feeling compromised.
3/ Ideal for Longitudinal Diary Studies
The approach works well when researchers want to capture insights over several days / weeks. The asynchronous nature of the approach is also convenient from the patients perspective as they can record the content at a time that suits them.
4/ Capture authentic patient insights
The approach gives researchers access inside the home (often the bedroom) of patients in an unobtrusive manner. Patients are recording real behaviour rather than trying to recall historic events, leading to a much more authentic research outcome. It thus allows for unfiltered and natural responses from patients comfortable in their own domestic settings, as you also remove the intimidation factor of unnatural clinical environments.
“Mobile ethnography can help provide the kind of context that would be missing in a normal research methodology approach. It also helps us do research in a way that minimises research bias, as well. By having us removed from that environment or backdrop, and focusing more completely on them.”
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Private: we connect you 1-1 with research participants to maximise privacy and trust.
Safe: anonymnous respondent logins and segregated recruiter accounts minimise PHI
Secure: our platform has been independently vetted by large healthcare providers.
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