Healthcare Needs More Than Apps: The Power of Human Connection
Date Posted: Thursday,
February 27, 2025
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In 2023, $10.7 billion was collectively raised by 492 digital health tech companies, according to “2023 Year-End Digital Health Funding: Break on Through to the Other Side” by Rock Health. These companies include everything from AI to virtual care solutions, portable medical devices, and more. This figure represents a significant increase from the $2.1 billion raised by 197 companies back in 2013. With a more than 400% increase in investments, there was anticipation that patient satisfaction statistics would follow a similar pattern. Unfortunately, in 2023, according to a Gallup poll, as reported in “Americans Sour on U.S. Healthcare Quality,” only 49% of American adults viewed healthcare quality favorably, down from 56% in 2014. We have gone backward in the one area we are trying to solve - improving the patient experience.
While numerous factors contribute to declining patient satisfaction, the data tells us that more solutions and products don't equate a better experience. Currently, there isn't a simple or immediate solution, but healthcare leaders prioritizing the patient experience and taking intentional actions in this focus may move the needle in the right direction.
A critical step in building this focus is not just centering patients but using their feedback as a leading indicator of the innovation we need to plot for the future.
As technology advances, people still crave personal connection. A PwC study shows that 75% of customers want more interactions with real people. This is especially true in healthcare. Most often, it's the care and comfort provided by doctors and nurses during a patient's toughest moments that they remember most, and that makes the difference. Remembering the reality of this human element in care when making day-to-day decisions creates space for innovative products to offer the best possible patient experience. This means actively seeking and incorporating patient input at each stage. Equally important is leveraging insights from frontline clinicians who understand the daily practical and emotional challenges that patients encounter in treatments. By pairing these perspectives with intentional design and data collection, while keeping the core problem as the guiding principle, the healthcare community will have the tools to meet both technical requirements and the genuine needs of the individuals we support.
The following four approaches can be leveraged to ensure that we don't lose sight of who we are building the future of healthcare for.
Refocus With Patient-Centered Design
Historically, healthcare design primarily focused on efficiency and functionality from the provider's perspective, aiming to streamline processes and optimize workflows with limited regard for the patient experience. However, with patients now having more immediate access to their healthcare journey and greater awareness of their needs, there is a growing necessity to shift the design process to prioritize patients at the heart of all developments.
Patient-centered design, an extension of user-centered design, seeks to enhance the overall quality of care by addressing patients' physical, emotional, and psychological needs. This approach treats patients as active partners and collaborators. Involving patients from the very beginning reduces development time, minimizes the need for extensive iterations, and leads to higher satisfaction rates.
Refine for Better Results With Outcome-Focused Data Collection
After launching a healthcare product, it's essential to collect and analyze data to ensure it effectively solves the intended problem. This process involves monitoring real-world performance, gathering user feedback, and assessing patient outcomes. Ongoing data collection also enables continuous improvements based on actual usage and emerging needs. This iterative process ensures the product remains effective and relevant over time, ultimately maximizing its benefits for patients and improving their overall experience.
Leverage Advisory Boards and Patient Feedback Loops for Insights
In today's complex landscape, where customer pain points are increasingly nuanced, businesses are turning to advisory boards to gain deeper insights and address knowledge gaps. As reported by the Advisory Board Centre in their “State of the Market Global Report 2023,” the use of advisory boards has surged by 20% from 2021 to 2023, highlighting their growing importance.
This powerful tool should not be overlooked within the healthcare industry. Establishing advisory boards composed of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals offers the means of gathering diverse perspectives directly from those impacted. By involving these stakeholders, their real-world experiences and feedback are integrated into the design and implementation processes. This helps bridge the gap between theoretical ideas and practical use, resulting in innovations that are both effective and empathetic.
Revisit Core Motivations
When all else fails, go back to the basics. What initial problem were you trying to solve that brought you to this point? By focusing on this foundational question, you can realign with your primary objectives and ensure that your solutions remain true to the original intent, with the patient's needs at the forefront.
Striking the Balance Moving Forward
Addressing patient satisfaction challenges in healthcare requires acknowledging that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is essential to balance innovation with the core principles of compassionate and dignified care. Following a brief funding dip in 2023, recent months have seen an uptick in health tech investments. As this trend continues, maintaining a focus on these core principles and implementing the above approaches is crucial for driving meaningful improvements in patient experience and positively boosting patient satisfaction metrics.
Source: Chaitenya “Chat” Razdan is Founder and CEO of Care+Wear.
Care+Wear is an innovative healthwear company born out of the desire to help patients and healthcare workers feel more human while in the hospital. The first product developed by Care+Wear was a better PICC Line cover, inspired after Care+Wear's founder, Chat, heard loved ones being told to put a tube sock over their arms. Ten years later, Care+Wear reaches millions of patients and clinicians with its adaptive and accessible shirts, sweatshirts, recovery bras, innovative patient gowns, NICU onesies, scrubs collection, and more. All Care+Wear products are developed through a proprietary design process that includes clinicians, patients, and leading designers, like The Natori Company, Oscar de la Renta, and Parsons School of Design, ensuring medically superior products that bridge fashion and function.
Careandwear.com
