…. Not much, as it turns out.
I
recently had a chance to enjoy the Magic
Kingdom with my family, including my very excited four year old
daughter. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to visit Walt Disney World,
it really is an amazing place.
Every
last detail of your visit has been designed by a team of designers, architects
and engineers called “Imagineers”. Removing all cynicism,
apprehension, and the last semblance of adult restraint you were desperately
trying to hang on to.
It
begins with the military efficiency of the parking lot- a beautiful dance where
300 cars and two RVs can be parked perfectly seemingly instantly. As you
approach the Kingdom either by ferry or monorail (I thought those things died
in the 80s), the visual experience has been very clearly thought out to draw
you into something special and leave your daily existence in the parking lot.
I
discovered that there has been some new magic installed since I visited as a
wee tot.
Apparently they now have an underground “experience command centre” beneath the castle, where some kind of early warning system helps them know when people in the queues are getting frustrated. I witnessed this first hand when two cast members magically appeared with giant bubble wands and suddenly everyone in the line was happy.
Apparently they now have an underground “experience command centre” beneath the castle, where some kind of early warning system helps them know when people in the queues are getting frustrated. I witnessed this first hand when two cast members magically appeared with giant bubble wands and suddenly everyone in the line was happy.
The Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Mini Guide app aids
navigation, helpfully displays the wait time for rides, and allows you to
instantly make reservations for restaurants (however, it does not fix the fact
that you forgot to reserve breakfast with Cinderella four months before your
trip).
The thing is, it’s not really magic. It’s a
team of people working like dogs to create an experience where you, yes you,
are the most important person there.
From
the spy cameras that must be everywhere, to the underground “utilidors”, there
is an infrastructure that allows all that hard work to remain invisible so that
all you see is the magic. Even the most sullen teenager can’t help coming out
of their shell and engaging with the Disney experience because of all that went
into designing the experience.
When was the last time a trip to your doctor
was “magical” or even enjoyable, for that matter?
While I
don’t really advocate doing exams while dressed as Captain Jack, I think its
high time that we in primary care get serious about improving the patient
experience. It’s quite plausible that if a patient enjoys a visit and has a
good experience, they may be more vested in their healthcare and thus follow
through on our recommendations. We lament “non-compliance” and always couch it
in terms of patient factors and choices, but rarely do we acknowledge that
non-compliance has as much to with physicians and the medical environment as it
does with the patient. Isn’t it possible that some patients just don’t care or
didn’t absorb what we told them because they were so uncomfortable and wanted
to bolt as soon as we freed them from our sadistic gowns?
We need to start looking at healthcare as a
service and be more serious about satisfying the customer, or in this case
making health care truly patient centric.
This
means that we need to engage our patients and communities, listen to what
health truly means to them and see healthcare through their eyes. Look at the
waiting room as an example. First of all, think about what just that name does
to your mood. As a patient, you are given a stack of forms that make no sense
and told to sit in an uncomfortable room full of strangers. You have no idea
why you are waiting or how long it might be. The furnishing makes it clear that
you are just an afterthought and clearly not the most important person in the
room. You might have a few old, safe magazines, maybe one dumbed down computer,
a blaring TV, and, if you’re lucky, Wi-Fi that barely works. After a seemingly
random amount of time, you’re taken to another cold and foreboding room, you
answer some more random questions and then you…. wait some. You feel helpless,
you’re probably naked, and you are clearly not in control of this situation.
You’re frustrated. And you’re not all confident that this encounter is really
all about you.
This
totally colours your interaction with your provider. You can’t help it; you’re
human and first impressions really matter. If you are made to feel helpless by
the waiting room experience, you are really going to feel helpless when the
very studious and harried doctor comes breezing in with nary an explanation for
what he has been doing for the past 45 minutes.
Think about this from the Disney perspective:
Every single detail is managed to make the most important person in the room
feel that way.
You
received an email reminder of the appointment and a visual depiction of what to
expect during the course of the visit. Everybody says Hi and is pleasant on
your way in. When you check in, you are told how long you can expect to wait
(even if its completely wrong, it helps to have an idea).You’ve already had all
your forms filled out ahead of time either on-line or the information was
pulled automatically from an on-going electronic plan of care customized for
you. You were given links ahead of time describing the rationale behind the
preventive services you were due for and now in the patient lounge, you can
explore this further with visually keyed information cards and kiosks, or you
can use the free Wi-Fi on your complimentary tablet to explore further.
There
are comfortable places to sit, catch up on emails, and private places to make
that last minute call. Visually interesting displays indicate the schedule of
wellness and cooking classes that are being offered that day. You whip out your
smartphone and check the free app for your doctor’s office that tells you your
doctor has one patient to see before you and your room is currently being
cleaned. You stop by the café to grab a coffee and receive a text message
telling you that room 175 is ready for you with a handy full color map that
directs you there.
You feel good, you’re actually enjoying this
and you can’t wait to meet with your doctor….how hard is this?
It is
all existing technology and could be ready tomorrow. It just takes awareness
that our patients really don’t like our offices and that impacts their entire
healthcare experience. It takes willingness to see the experience from the
patient’s perspective.
Being a
patient can be challenging at times and sometimes you have to do things that
really aren’t all that pleasant, but what if at the end of the day, you could
look back and think “that was fun, I’m actually kind of looking forward to my
next visit!”
Marc R.
Matthews
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
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