Patient Experience
Understand the experience of accessing care, finding information and knowing what happens next.
People & Behavior
Patient Experience research that informs clearer decisions.
Patients experience healthcare through appointments, conversations, physical settings, digital tools and follow-up support. We research how these interactions work together, helping your team identify unclear steps, access barriers and gaps in communication. Our focus is the service experience, not diagnosis or treatment decisions.
What we look at
Care pathway clarity from entry to follow-up- Caregiver load and information gaps
- Trust in clinicians, systems and digital tools
- Access and accessibility barriers
How we study it
- Patient and caregiver interviews
- Journey mapping across care touchpoints
- Service observation where appropriate
- Experience recommendations for clinical and digital teams
When to research
When patient experience research helps
Use this research when patients find it difficult to book, prepare for a visit, navigate a location, use a portal or understand the next service step. It can also inform a new digital service, redesigned appointment journey or improvements to follow-up communication.
A smaller provider may need to investigate one recurring problem. A larger organization may need to compare settings, service lines or audiences. We agree the journey boundaries, participation requirements and decisions the research will inform.
What we investigate
What we help you understand
Can patients find the service information they need? Are appointment instructions understandable? Do they know where to go, what to expect and whom to contact? Where do handovers, delays or repeated information requests create difficulty?
Research can examine booking, arrival, waiting, wayfinding, digital access, support and follow-up touchpoints within scope. Questions about clinical information are handled with the responsible healthcare specialists; research recommendations do not independently approve medical content.
Our approach
How we study the experience
Interviews explore specific recent experiences and the concerns participants describe. Journey mapping connects touchpoints and handovers. Usability testing examines selected tasks such as booking or finding information, using a suitable test version and safe scenarios.
Observation may be included where appropriate permissions and participation arrangements support it. Diaries or follow-up interviews can explore experiences over time. Surveys and authorized feedback data may complement the study when useful. We select methods around the question and participation burden.
From context to opportunity
Our research process
Confirm arrangements. Identify site permissions, review requirements and safeguards before recruitment or fieldwork
Design accessible participation. Agree methods, session format, communication support and safe tasks
Gather and analyze evidence. Identify barriers and differences, distinguishing observed issues from participant accounts
Recommend improvements. Connect findings to practical service or interface changes and questions requiring specialist input
Agree next steps. Discuss ownership, validation and relevant follow-up measures where included in scope
The output
What your team receives
Depending on scope, deliverables can include a patient journey map, communication and access findings, annotated usability issues and a prioritized improvement plan. Reports explain which participants, tasks and settings were covered.
We distinguish patient accounts, caregiver accounts, staff context and researcher interpretation. A findings workshop helps service, digital and operational teams agree next steps. Detailed redesign, implementation and clinical review are separately scoped.
Research focus
Patients and caregivers bring distinct perspectives
Patients describe their own experiences. Caregivers may describe coordination, practical support and the information they need in their role. We keep these perspectives distinct rather than assume a caregiver account represents the patient's views.
Recruitment can consider language, digital familiarity, access needs and different stages of a service journey. We document participation coverage and gaps. People who could not access a service may have different experiences from those who completed it.
Research ethics
Participation designed with care
We agree how the study will be explained, how consent and recording will be handled and how sessions can be paused or ended. Invitations should distinguish research from care and avoid pressure to participate. Session length and activities should suit the agreed participant context.
We identify appropriate arrangements for sensitive topics, distress or concerns raised during sessions before fieldwork. Research involving children or people needing additional participation support requires a specifically agreed approach and relevant specialist input. We do not assume every group or setting is suitable for the same protocol.
Research focus
Protect sensitive information
We limit the study to information needed for the research question. Test accounts and non-identifiable examples should be used where practical. Access to patient records, live systems or identifiable health information is not assumed and must be separately agreed.
Reporting arrangements address identifiable details, quotations and recordings. Removing names may not prevent recognition in a small group or rare situation. We agree safeguards and do not promise anonymity where the study design cannot support it. Public use of recordings is not assumed from participation consent.
Global research
Different settings and markets need context
Language, service access, digital availability and local arrangements can shape a patient journey. For multi-market studies, we agree local research, recruitment and review arrangements before fieldwork.
Findings are interpreted within the settings studied. We do not assume a journey in one location represents another, or that experience findings establish compliance with local requirements. Specialist review remains with the appropriate responsible teams.
Research ethics
Clear boundaries and responsible measurement
Patient experience research is not a clinical trial, medical advice, a patient-safety audit or a compliance certification. It does not establish treatment effectiveness or approve clinical changes. Any recommendations affecting care processes require review by the responsible healthcare teams.
Experience measures can include task completion, information comprehension, assistance needed and reported effort. Qualitative findings do not establish prevalence across all patients. A service improvement does not automatically prove a clinical or commercial benefit, and we do not guarantee such outcomes.
Before we begin
Frequently asked questions
Yes, with an appropriate prototype or test environment. We agree tasks and safeguards and document any simulated steps or coverage limits.
Yes, where their context helps explain service dependencies. Staff feedback is reported separately from patient experience evidence and does not replace research with patients.
No. A survey may be included, but interviews, journey research and task testing can explain specific difficulties and opportunities to investigate.
Share the service journey, intended participants, known concerns and relevant site or system constraints. We will discuss scope, safeguards, necessary arrangements, deliverables, timing and budget before work begins.
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Let us help shape the next step
Your patient experience has a UX problem.
Let’s find and fix it.
Next research service Citizen Experience Your patient experience has a UX problem. Let’s find and fix it. Contact Us Tell us which patient journey needs attention.