ArticlePloS one2023
The never-ending patient journey of chronically ill patients: A qualitative case study on touchpoints in relation to patient-centered care.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Digital Health Tools Embedded in a Cancer Genetics Clinic: Observational Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
- Pathways of health care for people living with multimorbidity in two Southern African countries.PloS one · 2026Article
- Assessment of Health System Readiness and Quality of Dementia Services in Peru: Protocol for a Qualitative Study With Stakeholder Interviews and Documentation Review.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Through the eyes of the patients: a qualitative study of diabetes patients' experiences navigating the healthcare system.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- Article
- An Orthopedic Healthcare Facility Governance Assessed with a New Indicator System.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHealthcare professionals caring for chronically ill patients increasingly want to provide patient-centered care (PCC). By understanding each individual patient journey, they can significantly improve the quality of PCC. A patient journey consists of patient interactions, so-called touchpoints, with healthcare professionals distributed over three periods: pre-service, service, and post-service period. The aim of this study was to ascertain chronically ill patients' needs for digital alternatives for touchpoints. Specifically, we aimed to explore which digital alternatives patients would like to see implemented into their patient journey to help healthcare professionals providing PCC.
methodsEight semi-structured interviews were conducted either face-to-face or via Zoom. Participants were included if they had visited the department of internal medicine and had received treatment for either arteriosclerosis, diabetes, HIV, or kidney failure. The interviews were analyzed utilizing a thematic analysis approach.
resultsThe results suggest that the patient journey of chronically ill patients is a continuous cycle. Furthermore, the results showed that chronically ill patients would like to see digital alternatives for touchpoints implemented into their patient journey. These digital alternatives consisted of video calls, digitally checking in before a physical appointment, digitally self-monitoring one's medical condition and personally uploading monitoring results into the patient portal, and viewing their own medical status in a digital format. Particularly, patients who were familiar with their healthcare professional(s) and were in a stable condition mostly opted for digital alternatives.
conclusionIn the cyclical patient journey, digitalization can help put the wishes and needs of the chronically ill patients at the center of care. It is recommended that healthcare professionals implement digital alternatives for touchpoints. Most chronically ill patients consider digital alternatives to lead to more efficient interactions with their healthcare professionals. Furthermore, digital alternatives support patients to be better informed about the progress of their chronical illness.
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