Transforming healthcare service environments: a sensory-based approach

Abstract

PurposeHealthcare service is a process that comprises a series of touchpoints underlying the key facets of service delivery, collectively shaping the users' (i.e. patients, hospital staff, and visitors) experiences. Departing from most sensory studies dedicated to understanding the retail environment and hedonic service, this study focuses on how sensory knowledge can contribute to understanding the sensory-based experiences of hospital users and their interactions with healthcare services at multiple touchpoints.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a multi-method approach comprising two studies involving semi-structured interviews and a qualitative online survey of past patients.FindingsDrawing upon the user-centered theory, the authors (1) consulted healthcare experts on hospital service touchpoints and standards around medical protocol; (2) explored users' needs, experiences, expectations, and evaluations of healthcare services; and (3) identified the issues and challenges faced by healthcare service users at various service touchpoints. Based on these insights, the authors proposed sensory tactics across healthcare service touchpoints that promote the well-being of major hospital users.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed sensory tactics require follow-up empirical evidence. Future research could adopt robust methodological designs on healthcare environmental interventions and progress with a transdisciplinary approach to advance this research area.Practical implicationsThe authors' experience-based framework forms the basis of a valuable toolkit for healthcare service management.Originality/valueThis study advances services literature by integrating sense-based marketing knowledge with healthcare service research to understand the dynamic and interactive relationship between hospital users and the environment.

Men’s transformative health service use: rethinking customer experience of vulnerability

“…However, practitioners could reimagine self-reliance through a strengths-based approach whereby customers use their own resources, for example, independence characteristics such as problem-solving and goal setting, to mitigate the experience of vulnerability in a health service (Raciti et al , 2022; Sharp et al , 2023). Using insights from service users’ perspectives when accessing different touchpoints across a healthcare journey, Yap et al (2022) mapped users’ sensory experiences to develop tactics to promote well-being. Using such strengths-based approaches, practitioners could reposition service value propositions by asking self-reliant men to help solve a service problem (e.g.…”