Tailored patient experiences

Abstract

To achieve optimal patient-centered care for people undergoing a Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), communication should ideally be tailored. In previous studies, three clusters of patients or patient ‘roles’ were identified based on communication preferences and clinical and psychological characteristics as a starting point for tailored communication in orthopedics. The current study aims to formulate initial guidelines for the design of tailored communication and information provision based on these roles. Two design cases were each evaluated as storyboards with twelve patients (three, seven, and two patients of each role, respectively). Generic and functionality-specific preferences were indicated by participants for both design proposals. Similarities in feedback per role provided the basis for generating an initial set of role-specific guidelines, that can be used to design tailored information and communication solutions.