MORE THAN A TRADITIONAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY

The Healthcare Consumer Journey has similarities but is different from a traditional customer journey, below articles are highlighting those differences

The 3 main differences of the Healthcare Consumer Journey

The Stages of the Journey


One significant contrast in the Healthcare Consumer Journey lies in the fact that a majority of consumers actively try to sidestep embarking on this journey. If they do find themselves on it, they exert extra efforts to navigate away. Upon realizing escape is not possible, some may resign, while others strive to embrace their altered life situation, particularly when dealing with their chronic conditions.


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The Challenges of the Healthcare Consumer


Understanding the pain points alone doesn't provide a comprehensive view of the challenges a Healthcare Consumer might face. It's crucial to also grasp their concerns to effectively offer relevant support and care.

Within the Healthcare Consumer Journey mapping, these pain points and concerns are collectively categorized under "Challenges."



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The Aspirations of the Healthcare Consumer


Empowering the consumers to achieve their health-driven life targets, is a curcial part of the service a healthcare manufacturer can provide to the consumers of their products. Each acheived target should be measured as a succes, to encourage the consumer as they are starting to settle their new life with their chronic condition.





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The Stages of the Journey:


Navigating the unique path of HealthCare Consumer Journey



In the world of healthcare, the journey from awareness to engagement takes a distinctive route compared to traditional consumer goods. Unlike typical consumer products, individuals aim to avoid becoming permanent consumers of healthcare solutions. However, when the necessity for healthcare products arises, consumers become deeply engaged, recognizing the significant impact on their quality of life.


Additionally, it's crucial to distinguish the healthcare consumer journey from the patient journey, even though individuals navigate both concurrently. While both journeys share a common purpose and some similarities, the patient journey focuses on the clinical aspect, whereas the healthcare consumer journey offers a holistic perspective, extending beyond the clinical setting—both before and after consumers see themselves as patients.


Navigating the healthcare consumer journey requires a nuanced understanding of each phase.

Manufacturers can provide valuable support, ensuring a positive impact on consumers' quality of life, and maintaining a strong relationship with healthcare professionals by being transparent about the outcome of service offered.

1. Prevention – A Shift in Awareness:


In this phase, awareness centers around products individuals hope never to use. Manufacturers can play an active role by promoting healthy lifestyles to prevent the chronic conditions their products address.

4. Acceptance – Coming to Terms with the Condition:


Consumers come to terms with their condition, a crucial phase before treatment. The most critical touchpoint in this phase is the healthcare professionals, as many consumers prefer a single, reliable source of information. Some may seek second opinions or further information about the products to be used as a part of the treatment.

6. Exploration – Seeking Optimal Solutions:


While still in dialogue with healthcare professionals’ post-treatment, some consumers begin exploring alternative sources of information. Issues such as cost, lack of reimbursement, difficulties managing their condition, or side effects can impact their choice of preferred solution. Supportive care from manufacturers ensures optimal product usage routines.

2. Symptoms – Acknowledging the Signs:


Some consumers neglect symptoms, potentially delaying seeking medical attention. For those researching symptoms online, feelings of denial or fear may accompany this phase. Manufacturers can address this stage by providing information and real-life stories that dispel concerns.

5. Treatment – Introducing the Product:


Consumers, now more patients than consumers, encounter the product for the first time. Clear instructions on product usage, whether physical or medicinal, are crucial at this stage. The close collaboration between manufacturers and healthcare professionals is pivotal in this phase, as consumers rely on a trusted source of information.

7. Stabilization – Adapting to New Life:


Some consumers are cured, while others accept a lifetime need for the product. Changes in overall health may impact product use, requiring ongoing adjustments. Manufacturers can offer support and guidance for the consumer to get back to the life they want to live while maintaining compliance.

3. Diagnosis – Diagnosis – Confirming the Reality


Consumers transition to patients, receiving a confirmed diagnosis. Some accept their situation swiftly, while others take time as they come to terms with their new life situation. It's an important step where individuals prepare to embrace a new phase, realizing that life with the right support can continue beyond the diagnosis. Manufacturers can leverage touchpoints to demonstrate this reality, recognizing that at this stage, that also relatives seek practical information and guidance about the journey their family members are about to navigate.

8. Advocacy – Sharing Experiences:


At this stage, consumers feel in control of their condition management and become brand ambassadors. They willingly share their stories, offering hope and assistance to others facing similar conditions. Keeping them informed about new solutions and technologies that could make their lives even easier is crucial for manufacturers, to maintain the ambassador’s loyalty to the product and brand.

The Challenges of the Healthcare Consumer


Are you fully aware of the challenges your healthcare consumers are facing during their healthcare consumer journey?

Once the stages are understood (bearing in mind their variation across products), the next crucial step is to initiate the actual mapping process. This mapping should rely on data and insights collected through surveys or data mining from various touch points the product or brand has with the consumer.


Consumer Actions - navigating information channels

Where do consumers go, to seek information about the product or the usage of the product? In the context of a healthcare consumer journey, this might extend to searching for information about symptoms or their specific medical condition or related health concerns — an indirect touch point worth considering.


Touch points – a holistic view

Consider all touch points consumers encounter in each phase. From social media to peer recommendations and advice from healthcare professionals, every potential touchpoint matters. It's also important to recognize the role of relatives in this process—they often actively seek information, driven by their eagerness to assist the consumer. Ensuring a holistic view of touch points, including the influential involvement of relatives, is key to understanding the full scope of the healthcare consumer journey.


Emotions – addressing the human experience

When dealing with health challenges, acknowledging the emotional impact is essential. Throughout the journey, consumers will experience a range of emotions. Even with optimal products, solutions, and services, consumers may face challenges that profoundly affect their well-being. Simultaneously, consumers who really struggle with their solution may hold deep gratitude for the support and care they receive while battling their condition. Due to this, they may appear to be at a higher level of well-being than they really are. Understanding and addressing these emotional nuances is essential for building a meaningful connection throughout the complex and varied landscape of the healthcare journey.


Challenges – beyond pain points

Understanding the complexities of the healthcare consumer journey requires exploring beyond the scope of pain points, as done in traditional customer journey mapping. While these tangible issues provide valuable insights, it's essential to recognize that concerns can also be crucial deal-breakers in this nuanced journey.

Pain points, though tangible and easily surveyed, only show parts of the full picture. Concerns, on the other hand, present a more nuanced challenge—sometimes stigmatized and not necessarily tied to specific stages, touch points, or product experiences. Addressing concerns becomes a vital strategy for providing relevant care, service, and support throughout the consumer's journey. This understanding allows you to actively engage in the ongoing dialogue between your product or brand and the consumer, guiding them away from potential challenges and ensuring a smoother journey.

Pain Points encompass issues ranging from the neglect of symptoms to struggles with reimbursement or product funding. Side effects and usage difficulties are pain points most manufacturers are aware of and have explored, while a growing awareness may emerge regarding the difficulty of ensuring consumer compliance with prescribed treatments.

Concerns, while trickier to categorize within specific journey phases, persist throughout the entire consumer experience. These occasional reappearances in the consumer's mind cover a spectrum—from feeling too young to be sick to dealing with frustration about new situations or concerns about correctly using a provided product after hospital discharge.


Simplifying the journey mapping process, pain points and concerns are closely related and, therefore, consolidated as “Challenges” in the healthcare consumer journey map.

Exploring the complexities of the healthcare consumer journey, moving beyond traditional pain points to uncover nuanced challenges, we find that the mapping journey is far from over. The next areas awaiting exploration are the health-driven aspirations and opportunities in this detailed landscape

The Aspirations of the Healthcare Consumer


Mapping health-driven life targets along the consumer journey defines the advice and guidance the consumers need at each stage of their healthcare journey

In the diverse landscape of the healthcare consumer journey, individuals enter at varying paces - some struggling with symptoms for years, others pushed into the journey due to accidents or sudden illness.


No matter how they entered their individual healthcare journey, a common thread unites them all; Upon discharge from hospitals or rehabilitation clinics, as they commence their daily routines with prescribed products or medications, they 'cross the bridge' into a new life shaped by a chronic condition, and they want to get the most out of that life.

 

Driven by hope and aspirations, elements often overlooked in traditional customer journeys, the consumers aim to reclaim as much quality of life they knew before the impact of their condition. For healthcare manufacturers, recognizing these aspirations is vital in their dialogue with consumers. Addressing and guiding them toward these targets become an important part of the ongoing service provided.

 

This leads to the next crucial aspect of mapping the healthcare consumer journey: Health-driven aspirations or life targets, acknowledging the significant effort required to revert to a life as close as possible to the pre-healthcare journey life.


These health-driven life targets are best explained through the hierarchy in Maslow’s pyramid of needs. Some will initially focus on basic physiological needs - such as sleep disrupted by treatment or condition side effects - their greatest aspiration is to get more sleep at night. Progressing from there to safety and security, which includes health and employment, the consumers aspire to gain control of their health to achieve a health-driven life target of returning to work.


As the journey unfolds, psychological needs emerge, encompassing love, belonging, and addressing potential social stigma, the health-driven life targets changes from being focusing on their condition and the handling of it to a stronger focus on psychological needs. Towards the journey's culmination, some consumers are transformed into 'superheroes,' who aspire to share experiences, transitioning from self-fulfillment needs to helping others in easing their struggles.

 

In acknowledging these nuanced aspects, healthcare manufacturers can better engage with consumers by giving them relevant advice and guidance on their transformative journey, helping their consumer to understand that even if they still experience daily struggles, their quality of life is slowly improving, and they are starting to settle their new life with their chronic condition.