From the Editor

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue 1 of Journal of Patient Experience! Patient experience is evolving as the healthcare industry is in the midst of unprecedented changes. The cost of care, quality, and access to services are critical factors in determining how we design and plan future care experiences. Not only is there a greater expectation for a personalized experience, but there is also a demand for more convenience and more transparency. As patients actively participate in their care, the way patients experience their care is changing. In this issue, we explore these ideas and more.

The way we deliver care is being transformed. As patients value the ability to consult with a doctor at a time and a place that’s convenient for them, traditional office visits are shifting to include other mediums, such as virtual visits, telemedicine, and access to home care. Patients can have real-time access to a provider through their mobile devices. As patients take on more control of their experience, they are demanding more access to their own health information. Ideally, the electronic medical record (EMR) will evolve into a tool to facilitate communication and patient involvement in their own care. Further inquiry and design thinking may be necessary to build a deeper connection between the EMR model and the patient voice (Busack, Daskalakis, and Rosen).

When patients are more informed about their own health information, they become more engaged in their treatment. Fred Standeford, a patient with Hepatitis, shares his journey in the piece ‘‘How I Combined Perseverance and Knowledge to Acquire My Cure for Hepatitis C and Beyond.” Although he was familiar with pharmacology, his experience reflects his evolving insight as a human navigating his own health. As patients like Fred now have avenues to share their experiences, such as in online communities, they can help others in their efforts to manage their conditions.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these issues. If you’d like to get in touch, please reach out to me at [e-mail].

ON THE COVER

“The Healer” - A paper painting by Allison Massari. This piece resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, FL. © 2008 Allison Massari

Allison Massari, Keynote Speaker/Artist International keynote speaker and acclaimed visual artist, Allison Massari, deeply understands the critical value of receiving personalized care from empathetic providers. Having survived two devastating and near fatal car accidents, one where she burned alive, Allison’s compelling authority has made her a leading educator on the power of compassion as a healing tool. Her journey of determination, courage, and the rigorous pursuit of hope inspires confidence, ignites vitality, and illuminates how patient-centered care can build an expansive, life-changing foundation for healing - for both patient and provider. Hear her in person at the 7th Annual Patient Experience Summit.

Artist statement I always start with the eyes. I look into the mirror and paint my eyes. The point is to anchor the artwork in something that is true - something that is deep, and human, and real, so that the rest of the work can unfold from this unguarded moment. The eyes are a doorway. As I made “The Healer”, I could feel the figure emerge from the environment and simultaneously melt back into it. She could not exist without the world around her, and the world would not be the same without her presence. Her totality, her readiness to give, envelops us and awakens us to something deep within.

Learn more about Allison here at: www.AllisonMassari.com

Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Patient Experience