Patient Digital Journey Mapping: How to Improve Patient Digital Experience in Healthcare
Patient digital journey mapping focuses on the digital aspects of the experience for both prospective and current patients.
It enables healthcare providers — such as hospitals, insurance companies, and tech companies building digital healthcare solutions — understand how patients interact with their digital touchpoints.
Digital touchpoints include healthcare companies’ websites, mobile apps, patient portals, and online booking systems.
By mapping these interactions, healthcare providers can identify pain points and improve their digital experiences. This leads to a smoother patient experience—like finding accurate information easily on websites, booking appointments without hassle on patient portals, and receiving timely health updates through mobile apps.
For providers, these improvements mean fewer appointment no-shows, more efficient online scheduling, and quicker access to up-to-date patient information.
This article will guide you through the process of creating a digital patient journey map, covering key steps, common challenges, and how mapping can improve the digital patient experience.
Table of content
- What is a patient digital journey map?
- Stages of the patient digital journey
- Challenges and solutions in patient digital journey mapping
- How to create a patient digital journey map?
- Benefits of patient digital journey mapping
Quick takeaways
- Patient digital journey mapping helps healthcare providers improve digital experiences.
- Data-driven mapping leads to targeted and effective improvements.
- Regular updates, using real-time insights, keep the digital journey aligned with patient needs.
- Improved digital experiences increase patient engagement and retention.
What is a patient digital journey map?
A patient digital journey map is a visual guide healthcare providers use to outline the key digital interactions a patient has with their digital service.
For example, if patients frequently abandon the booking process halfway through, the map can reveal where the problem lies, leading to a simpler booking system.
If patients struggle to find contact information on a website, the map shows exactly where they face obstacles, prompting better navigation.
And if follow-up reminders sent via a mobile app are often ignored, the map highlights this issue, guiding more engaging and effective notifications.
Stages of the patient digital journey
In the stages of the patient digital journey, we focus exclusively on the digital interactions that shape the patient experience. By mapping these digital stages, healthcare providers can better understand patient needs and identify challenges in the online journey.
Stage 1: Awareness
The patient’s digital journey starts when they first search for health information online or encounter a digital ad from a healthcare provider. This is the stage where they become aware of their health needs through digital channels.
Stage 2: Consideration
Patients compare options using digital tools—reading online reviews, checking health service websites, comparing providers, and exploring insurance coverage details through online platforms.
Stage 3: Access
Once they decide to engage with a provider, they interact with online booking systems, patient portals, or mobile apps to make an appointment. This stage covers all digital interactions leading up to receiving care.
Stage 4: Service delivery
Care is delivered through digital means, like telehealth consultations, video calls with a provider, accessing lab results online, or receiving digital health updates via apps or websites.
Stage 5: Follow-up and engagement
Post-service interactions via digital channels, like follow-up reminders through mobile apps, accessing digital records, and receiving health updates via email or SMS. It includes feedback forms, digital surveys, and online care instructions.
Whether you’re trying to understand how patients become aware of your healthcare service or navigate your website or portal, tools (eg. session replay) that show where they come from and how they interact can help you improve their digital experience.
Challenges and solutions in patient digital journey mapping
Patient digital journey mapping comes with key challenges, but there are effective ways to overcome them:
Fragmented data in digital patient journeys
Patient information is often scattered across several websites and apps, making it hard to see the full journey.
→ Solution: Use software that centralizes data from all digital touchpoints into one place to connect the dots and gain a clearer understanding of patient interactions.
Privacy concerns: ensuring GDPR and HIPAA compliance
Handling sensitive data requires strict adherence to regulations like GDPR or HIPAA, limiting how digital data can be captured and analyzed.
→ Solution: Use self-hosted tools to securely manage user data and staying compliant.
User behavior complexity
Different patients have different digital habits. What works for one group might not work for another, making it tough to create solutions that fit all.
→ Solution: Mix quantitative data with qualitative insights to see patterns in behavior.
Keeping digital journeys up-to-date
As patient needs evolve, digital journeys change, making maps quickly outdated.
→ Solution: Regularly update your journey map with real-time data insights.
Identifying drop-off points in the digital patient experience
It’s often unclear why patients leave halfway through booking an appointment or navigating a portal. Without clear insights, it’s tough to know where improvements are needed.
→ Solution: Use tools that visualize user navigation to see exactly where they drop off.
How to create a patient digital journey map?
Mapping the patient digital journey helps healthcare providers improve the digital experience for their patients. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a patient digital journey map:
Step 1: Define patient personas
Identify the types of patients engaging with your digital services. Each persona should reflect distinct needs and digital habits to guide your mapping process.
→ Action: Use surveys, patient feedback, and analytics tools to gather data on behavior patterns.
Step 2: Map the key digital steps
List the major digital interactions patients have with your services, such as discovering your website, booking appointments, or accessing your patient portal.
→ Action: Use web and product analytics tools to pinpoint which pages are most visited and what paths patients take. Identify the digital touchpoints that define their journey.
Step 3: Collect and analyze data on patient behavior
Gather insights on how patients navigate your digital platforms. Track key metrics like visits, clicks, time on page, and drop-offs. Understand what’s working and where they face issues.
→ Action: Use analytics for quantitative data and session replay tools for qualitative insights.
Step 4: Identify and address problem areas
Examine the data to uncover the biggest obstacles patients face—confusing navigation, slow-loading pages, or complicated forms.
→ Action: Focus on pages with high exit rates or where patients frequently get stuck. Make adjustments based on data, and monitor the results.
As you define personas, map key steps, and analyze patient behavior, tools that leverage session replay and analytics can show you exactly where patients are struggling and what areas need improvement, helping you map your patients’ digital journey map.
Benefits of patient digital journey mapping
Find and fix digital friction fast
A well-crafted digital journey map shows exactly where patients face problems—like drop-offs during booking or confusion in navigating the patient portal. Addressing these issues leads to a frictionless digital experience.
Make data-driven decisions
Digital mapping provides concrete insights, so you make informed changes based on real patient behavior data rather than assumptions.
Increase patient satisfaction and drive positive reviews
Improving digital interactivity helps patients find their information faster and more easily, resulting in greater satisfaction. This translates into higher ratings and more positive online reviews.
Conclusion:
Putting your patient digital journey map to work
A patient digital journey map is a practical tool for improving the online experience for patients. Use the insights you’ve gathered to identify problem areas, simplify interactions, and create a clearer digital experience for patients. Keep the map updated to meet evolving patient needs and expectations.
Unlock your patient digital journey with OpenReplay
OpenReplay helps you see exactly how patients engage with your digital platforms at every stage. Use these insights to identify challenges, improve navigation, and make informed changes.
Self-host OpenReplay to securely manage data and stay compliant with top healthcare standards, ensuring patient privacy every step of the way.
