The fundamentals of relationships

At the heart of every healthcare consumer is the need to feel recognised and the need to feel listened to.

- Karthik Rajagopal

Hospitals that resemble hotels! Hospitals that smell like spas! Hospital waiting areas that can be mistaken for airline lounges! Much has changed in the hospitals of today. Investments in technology, architecture and design to make hospitals that don’t look and feel like hospitals anymore is the modern day thinking. Emerging out of research and insights from the ever evolving healthcare consumer who today looks at mapping cross industry experiences is the clear reason behind this change.

The physical space can make a significant difference to the process of healing. It helps in making the slightly unpredictable discharge times seem a bit less frustrating, it can make out-patient waiting time feel a little less boring, it can give patient attendants,especially the kids who accompany patients, time to unwind and enjoy parent interference free time at the play area or the food court. However, are good physical structures, smiling patient care coordinators, appointment apps, online reports a substitute to a good overall hospital experience? Can they replace the fundamentals of a good relationship that can be built with health consumers, both as in-patients and out-patents. The emphasis, as of yesterday, was on touch point experience. However, the paradigm has shifted to holistic patient experience where every touch point is only an efficient baton passer.