Focus: Patient Experience

Theme Parks Can Teach Healthcare Systems About Patient Experience

Museums, zoos and other amusements succeed when designing positive consumer experiences


Beyond a good bedside manner, consistent record keeping, robust contingency plans, well-supported staff and strong end-to-end engagement all play a role in crafting the ideal patient experience, according to an article on the Mobi Health News website.

Each of these components become harder as a system’s operations grows.

heme parks have many of the same challenges that healthcare has. Themed entertainment, resorts, destination retail — all of these situations try to create ‘immersive transformative experiences,' … and I can’t think of anything more immersive and transformative than an episode of healthcare,” Dr. Steven Merahn, chief medical officer at Centria Healthcare said in the article. 

“Healthcare, like a museum, zoo or aquarium, is in the game of informal education, because we’re trying to get patients, their families, their caregivers, their communities to learn and integrate some really challenging content,” Cynthia Sharpe, principal of cultural attractions and research at experience design agency Thinkwell Group, said.

“If I’m a parent and I’m terrified in a doctor’s office with my two-year-old who’s not breathing well, and the doctor tells me ‘Your kid has asthma,’ we’re expecting that parent to suddenly learn and assimilate and act on really complicated information.” 

New business challenges brought by the pandemic, have lead healthcare facilities to increase focus on  patient experience efforts, according to an article on the Becker’s Hospital Review website.

Facilities are working on increasing access to care and deliver a better-than-expected service.

Hospital marketing teams are focusing on promoting brand awareness and addressing patient fears by stressing that their facilities are safe and open for services.

One challenge is that data usually used to inform patient experience decisions, like HCAHPS scores and post-visit surveys, aren't useful against poor experiences before they happen.  

Read the full Mobi Health article.



October 16, 2020


Topic Area: Maintenance and Operations


Recent Posts

Grounding Healthcare Spaces in Hospitality Principles

Thoughtful design can establish the calm of a spa and the restorative feeling of a resort in healthcare spaces, bringing benefits for patients and care providers.


UC Davis Health Selects Rudolph and Sletten for Central Utility Plant Expansion

Work is already underway with substantial completion anticipated in the fall of 2027.


Cape Cod Healthcare Opens Upper 2 Floors of Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion

The first two floors opened for patients in May 2025 and house the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center.


Building Sustainable Healthcare for an Aging Population

Traditional responses — building more primary and secondary care facilities — are no longer sustainable.


Froedtert ThedaCare Announces Opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh

The organization broke ground on the health campus in March 2024.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.