Working on from the feedback, I decided to look at the current hospital experience and map out this user journey to hopefully help me identify narrow down the scope of my major project by identifying which area of the journey I want to focus my project on.
Using sticky notes , I mapped out 4 key moments of the user journey children and parents would experience when attending hospital for an appointment or minor procedure.
I first of all looked at the pre-visit and the users thoughts and feelings when scheduling the appointment or receiving a letter about the appointment as well as the initial travelling to the hospital
Scheduling or receiving a letter:
At this stage, there is very little knowledge, understanding or explanation for parents and children about what is going on and what will happen during their appointment as they just receive the information over the phone or receive a generic letter outlining the date, time and location of their appointment.
This can cause a lot of anxiety and fear for children as their parents as the worry of the unknown causes them to ask lots of what and why questions that their parents are unable to answer.
Even if parents wanted to understand better to infrom their children, a lot of NHS websites can provide out of date information or information not related to that specific hospital
Travelling to Hospital:
This journey can be really nerve wracking especially if it is a longer journey. The journey is a time when emotions start to build up especially anxiety and fear as well as being the start of the tantrums as they get closer to the hospital.
The next stage I looked at was the arriving at the hospital and how children and their parents navigate the corridors to get to the correct destination .
Parking:
Parking is stressful wherever you go but at the hospital this is an added stress, especially when you are already quite nervous and a little worked up. Issues of finding parking can lead to further stress and anxiety for parents which relays onto their child.
Navigating The Hospital:
Navigating hospitals are hard due to them being large buildings with loads of different corridors or areas or even sometimes multiple buildings for different clinics. Receiving the incorrect information either accidentally within the letter, mishearing it over the phone or someone accidentally pointing you in the wrong direction can be frustrating and can get to you more than it usually would.
The signage in hospitals can also be really unhelpful and confusing for parents and children. Signs are too high up for children to see making it impossible for them to even attempt to navigate and for parents the signs can sometimes point them in the wrong way or not be accessible such as being too small or unclear.
It is also important to add that hospitals are very clinical, busy places which also make them scary and uncomfortable, especially for children.
Once in the hospital and at your destined ward or department, emotions can already be heightened by the journey so far before you have even made it to check in or sit in the waiting room.
Checking In:
Checking in can be stressful due to the amount of info you need to relay to the receptionist or input onto a self sign in machine. There is also a lack of privacy due to everyone around you hearing personal information or parents and children can feel quite unsettled if they were to have a bad interaction especially with a staff member.
Waiting:
This can be one of the most uncomfortable feelings due to the clinical environment, walls plastered with scary posters and children feeling a lack of control and safety in this unfamiliar space. There is also a lack of timeline of status for children about when they will be going into see the doctor which gives them added anxieties.
Meeting The Doctor:
When meeting the doctor or consultant, it can often feel a bit rushed due to the limited time and interaction which means there is little emotional connection between them. Meeting these unfamiliar people can be really scary for children as they can feel threatened that they might take them away from their parents so these situations can be very anxiety driven and is when most children will lash out. Due to the lack of time, there can also be a lack of explanation about what is going to happen next or words that are used to explain can be very medical based and hard to understand for not only the child but also their parents.
Procedures:
The final part of the appointment would be getting their procedure, this can be anything small from a blood test to something maybe a bit more major such as an MRI or CT scan. Sometimes, treatment plans can change last minute which throws the child as anything they did know or understand changes in a split second. Children are inquisitive and like to ask lots of questions especially ones beginning with what, why and how. This is more common in hospitals due to lots of alien procedures and equipment. When children don’t understand or are unable to express their confusion or questions this often leads to melt downs.