The Patient Experience: An Ethnographic Study of the Waiting Areas as Part of the Patient Journey the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic of Roskilde Sygehus

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the patient experience of the touchpoints in the waiting areas as a part of the patient journey through the pediatric outpatient clinic of Roskilde Sygehus. The case of Roskilde Sygehus was chosen because the management of the outpatient clinic found a need to change their waiting areas immediately. The research of the thesis is based on the chosen literature within the areas of customer experiences, journeys, and touchpoints, and servicescapes, healthscapes, the patient experience and journey in aiming to connect the literature together as an in-depth review on the two areas of customer and patient experience combined. The thesis is written within the field of Social Research with a hermeneutic approach meaning that the researcher’s personal values and perspectives influences the study. The empirical data was collected through a micro-ethnographic study of the pediatric outpatient clinic waiting areas of Slagelse Sygehus and Roskilde Sygehus, and an employee presentation of the temporary findings and suggestions for improvements at Roskilde Sygehus. The field notes from the observations were analyzed with thematic networks, where there together was found 24 basic themes and 7 organizing themes at Slagelse Sygehus and Roskilde Sygehus with a global theme for each thematic network. The global themes were found to be: Slagelse Sygehus: The waiting areas provide the patients with physical surroundings which encourage approach behavior, and Roskilde Sygehus: The touchpoints in the waiting areas could be improved for all patients, youth patients in particular. The findings were discussed in the fifth part of the thesis, where the observations from Slagelse Sygehus were used in comparison with those from Roskilde Sygehus, and together it was discussed in relation to the literature review by identifying coherences and conflicts. The discussion also includes contributions to literature and business. The latter suggesting a set of eight tangible propositions to be applied in the health care business. The conclusion suggests that the management of the pediatric outpatient clinic at Roskilde Sygehus takes the eight propositions into consideration when improving their waiting areas. In addition, the conclusion also brings an attempt in answering why the research question is relevant to ask at Roskilde Sygehus and in the health care business in general. Lastly, this thesis has a topicality for the health care crisis of the covid-19 pandemic.