The health system decides what should be done for the care of the population. Who treats, when and where, what is a priority, what delays are tolerable, and what degree of saturation is acceptable in Quebec’s emergency rooms. This parental approach is, however, obsolete. A modern service company must be interested in the needs and desires of its customers.
Other than in healthcare, no company dares claim to know better than its customers what is good for them. Why in more than 20 years of medical practice, have I never seen a survey given to patients on the experience or the quality of care received in an establishment? Why not ask nurses, orderlies and doctors what they observe in the field and if they have what they need to care for their patients properly?
It is now impossible for me to go to a restaurant, hotel, spa or vet without being asked if I am satisfied with my experience and being invited to share my suggestions and to recommend the place to my friends.
The private medical industry is flourishing in Quebec because the public system is failing, but also because of its authoritarian, autocratic and obsolete approach.
The private company is interested in the needs and desires of its customers and its employees, without whom it cannot carry out its mission and seeks to satisfy them. Why ? Because his survival depends on it.
Patients, however, are undemanding customers and if our public health care system bothered to ask them, this is what they would learn:
– the patient experience goes beyond receiving the necessary medical care. The human warmth, empathy and compassion with which they are delivered also matters;
– the ease of making appointments (virtual or in person), communicating, renewing a prescription, or getting treatment matter more than ever;
– patients want professionals and support staff who have the time to listen to them, and show compassion. With a seven-minute consultation, that’s mission unlikely;
– the generations follow one another but are not alike. Boomers have growing needs because they are getting older and want to stay active. Gen Xers consume healthcare services for themselves, their children and their aging parents. Millennials (Y) are interested in optimizing their own health and preventing disease. Post-Millennials (Z) have few needs, but demand ease of online access;
– patients want a system that adapts to them rather than the other way around and crave flexibility and convenience. Virtual consultations, widespread since the pandemic, are appreciated. Flexible hours, for non-urgent care, are also very much appreciated, because after all, these patients have to work well, right?
– patients want to be able to choose their caregivers based on their virtual reputation and the experiences of other patients, available online; services that have been made available by companies like ratemds, Google or Facebook, rather than by public institutions or hospitals. Today’s credibility goes through the virtual;
– today’s patients want to be seen as partners in managing their health. The traditional approach of the doctor who knows “best”, does not listen or even laughs at the patient’s opinion (thanks, Dr Google) is over. They want to be treated holistically (whole person) and not as a “medical condition” to be treated. This fragmented approach is a thing of the past;
– patients want to have access to their file, as they access their online bank account and want their information to be shared confidentially and securely with their other caregivers;
– patients want transparency and professionals who communicate in an understandable way, before, during and after their consultation or treatment;
– patients want to spend the time they need with their doctor and feel that for the duration of the interaction, they are important.
If the public health care system proves unable or too inflexible to adapt to the needs and desires of today’s patients, who are more savvy consumers than ever, the private sector will continue to do so and expand. , in Quebec. Why ? Simply because it asks the questions: how can we help you? How was your experience with us?
Isn’t it time for the healthcare system to do the same?