Healthcare Design - December 2018 - 19

R E V I E W

Brave new world

EXPECTATIONS FOR PATIENT engagement and

interaction have evolved dramatically in recent years, thanks in large part to the consumer
experiences we all have on a daily basis. Susan
B. Frampton, president of Planetree International, explored this concept in her HCD Expo
closing keynote presentation, "The Brave New
World of Patient Engagement."
For instance, she shared her recent discovery
of the app Airport Sherpa, which connects travelers with a service that brings dining and shopping to them, from any terminal, to wherever
they might be inside an airport. She said it never occurred to her that she'd require or desire
such an amenity, but she downloaded the app
just in case-"this is where we're at today." It's
an example of how entrepreneurs of the world
are anticipating the needs of consumers well
before they realize those needs themselves.
Themes of convenience, access, and cost effectiveness define the consumer experience.
"This is setting the bar for what our customers are expecting of us," Frampton said of the
healthcare industry. Retailers aren't just setting the bar on the traditional goods and services they sell, either; they're setting them
for healthcare. The desire for immediacy in
all things means that patients are looking for
that in provider response, care, treatment, and
follow-up-something CVS and Walgreens are
getting right.
And in the meantime, as traditional providers
work to offer care that's on par with the retail
environment, Frampton reminded the HCD
Expo audience that what the 1,000+ retail clinic
locations operating today aren't offering is a patient-centered healing environment. Too often
waiting areas consist of folding chairs placed in
a corner of a store or flu shots are administered
in open spaces hidden only by screens. "They
need your help. They need your help badly," she
said. "I'm really hoping some of you will figure
out a better way."
But beyond the physical realm, technology is
also accelerating expectations for patient engagement, she continued. Telehealth is gaining ground, as are more complex approaches
like the virtual ICU or even the "hospital in the
home" through which chronic conditions are
managed.
However, Frampton said that even while
these factors might be acknowledged, healthcare leaders are often balancing competing priorities and haven't been presented with clear
evidence that engagement affects outcomes.

In response to this, Planetree partnered with the National Academy of
Medicine (NAM) two years ago to identify what approaches are essential
to both engage patients and improve outcomes.
For starters, NAM is redefining patient-centered care to more clearly
articulate the element of patients' involvement in fulfilling their personal goals for care. A big piece of that, Frampton said, is shared decisionmaking -the idea being that engaged, informed patients have better
outcomes and incur lower costs.
But what about design? Frampton said the physical environment is another important piece, supporting how and whether patients can engage
in their care. For example, research shows that loud noises, bright lights,
food and water restrictions, painful stimuli, and so on result in allostatic
overload, or simply wear and tear on the body. This causes patients to become more vulnerable to other illnesses, as well.
So if designers have ever wondered if design makes a difference, "it absolutely does. You are making a contribution to improve peoples' health,"
she told the audience.
Frampton said engagement can best be supported by ensuring both inpatient and outpatient environments or even those at home or in a retail
clinic are welcoming to families in the care process and reduce elements
like noise and unnecessary stimuli. "You guys have a very important contribution to make," she said.-Jennifer Kovacs Silvis, editor-in-chief

DECEMBER 2018

Healthcare Design - December 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - December 2018