Advancing Health Equity: Optimizing Patient Experience for the Journey to Health Equity

Improving the patient's experience is a journey that requires consistent effort and a shift in the culture of healthcare organizations. To achieve long-term improvements, several important cultural changes need to take place: creating a patient-centric culture with an emphasis on empathy and communication. We examined the importance of continuous feedback, empowerment, and collaboration with the patient population. How using a data-driven approach to address staff training and development, leadership commitment, and continuous improvement. These cultural shifts are interconnected and require sustained commitment, dedication, and patience. By creating an environment that values and continuously improves the patient's experience, healthcare organizations can make lasting positive changes. This will increase patient satisfaction, improved health outcomes, and stronger relationships between patients and healthcare providers.

Learning Objectives: 

• Define patient experience and how it differs from patient satisfaction 
• Identify how patient experience can inform quality improvement plans
• Explain how an interprofessional team can improve the patient’s experience and satisfaction.