Healthcare Design - August 2022 - 38

In F o cus
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For example, it became apparent that trust in
healthcare providers, desire to make changes
to a healthcare provider, loyalty, physical
and mental health status, and engagement
in one's care were important outpatient consumer
outcomes.
forefront as crucial to outpatient consumers were modern and
welcoming exteriors and exam rooms and more intuitive and private
registration experiences.
A big-picture finding of the O-EXI study was that exceptional experiThese
outcomes also provided the larger
context within which to frame later and targeted
explorations of the data. For example, if
outpatient consumers experienced extensive
wait times but in well-designed waiting rooms,
would they be more likely to go somewhere
else in the future for their care? In other words,
would they exhibit disloyalty? Or would the
design offset the negative experiences?
Surprisingly, researchers found that accounting
for all other influences and considering
the entire national dataset, overall
impressions of waiting areas had little influence
on outpatient consumers' outcomes
such as loyalty. Similarly, a good parking experience
had little influence. This is contrary
to what is often heard during focus groups
and interviews. However, what came to the
ences with design and digital solutions can capture healthcare's greatest
currency: consumer trust. Outpatient consumers gage trust in their
healthcare providers as a key indicator of value. A majority of outpatient
consumers do not have expertise in medicine and, therefore, an objective
knowledge of the value of the services they are consuming.
The O-EXI found that anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress
disorder symptoms exacerbated by the pandemic further dampened
trust with physicians and the American healthcare system. However, the
study also found that with lowered trust, consumers were open to making
changes to their healthcare.
These included a location change in where care is received and health
insurance. While consumers are open to considering their options,
healthcare design can be a differentiator that turns the corner on diminishing
trust and captures this market share.
IMPACT OF DESIGN
According to the study, upwards of 70 percent of outpatient consumer
spending intentions and loyalty were explained by experiences with design
elements and interactions with the physician. Important design
elements included the facility's appearance from the outside, registration
options and seating for registration activities, and exam and consult
space design and layout. Those who felt positive about these design elements
felt they received value for what they paid for, the visit exceeded
expectations, they'd recommend the location to others, and would return
in the future.
The facility exterior and exam room are a power pairing and together
have a large impact on the outpatient experience. According to the study,
if the exterior and exam room design were both highly rated, an outpatient
consumer would be more likely to know what actions to take about
their health, feel in control of their health, understand how to prevent
problems with their health, feel a sense of purpose, and feel more optimistic
about their future, among other important outcomes.
However, consumers who reported poor ratings-either for the exterior
or exam room-were lower on these important outcomes. In other words,
consumers may rely on successive and consistent design cues from branding
and materials when journeying from exteriors to exam rooms. The
consistency may confirm expectations or, ideally, broaden and build their
expectations for what is coming next.
Analyses of the respondents' data revealed that for an outpatient facility
exterior to be rated highly, it needed to appear modern, high-tech, inspiring,
and welcoming. If the online impression of the facility did not match
the actual impression upon arrival, the experience was compromised.
Clearly delineated exam and consult zones, wall-mounted screens, and
shared and round-shaped tabletops were statistically associated with easily
accessible information and consumers' control over their surroundings.
Moreover, patients' use of personal devices to document or share information
during an in-person consult was associated with a stronger therapeutic
alliance with the physician-and overall higher engagement with
their own health. This would suggest that designers should be mindful of
interactions initiated by consumers with digital technology during a consult
just as much as those initiated by care providers.
Furthermore, the O-EXI revealed that the entry experience has
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AU GUST 2022
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Healthcare Design - August 2022

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