Design Supporting a ‘Customer-Perceived Intimacy’-Strategy in Healthcare Services

Abstract

Given that we live in a time within a growing competitive healthcare market, the customer experience and healing opportunities are on top of the priority list. However, little attention has been dedicated on how to merge the disciplines of architecture, healthcare and management to create healthcare environments to enhance the customer experience and the healing process. The goal of this paper is to explore how design can foster customer-perceived intimacy within a healthcare context to achieve enhanced customer outcomes, such as customer well-being. Understanding the importance of customer- perceived intimacy is paramount, as customers are constantly exposed to intimate situations. The study suggest that there is potential for such situations to be wrought with problems involving complexities associated with human cognition, emotions, physiological responses, and behaviors. A literature review is undertaken to highlight the antecedents and the short-term and long-term outcomes of customer- perceived intimacy. As a result, the paper provides a conceptual framework that raises many questions that need to be answered. In doing so, a solid foundation for future inquiry has been laid.

Specialty Space: Breast Care Centers

“…Even if the patient does not feel strongly about their own privacy, the centers themselves are required to follow privacy laws to protect their patients (Martens et al, 2019). Ensuring patient privacy is also a courtesy for people who are experiencing some sort of pain, illness, or discomfort and need to disclose personal information to strangers or near-strangers (Martens et al, 2019). Patients who feel more comfortable are more likely to share more, which can be vital to ensuring the correct treatment (Martens et al, 2019).…”

“…Ensuring patient privacy is also a courtesy for people who are experiencing some sort of pain, illness, or discomfort and need to disclose personal information to strangers or near-strangers (Martens et al, 2019). Patients who feel more comfortable are more likely to share more, which can be vital to ensuring the correct treatment (Martens et al, 2019). There are two forms of privacy in this case, auditory and visual privacy.…”

“…Enclosed private registration booths with floor to ceiling walls can provide auditory and visual privacy because other patients are unable to hear personal information, like addresses or birthdays or concerns, and are unable to see one another (see Appendix A, Figure A1). Other ways to ensure privacy include having shades or blinds to protect sight lines into patient rooms, having single-patient rooms, having curtains when those spaces are not feasible, playing music at low volumes to cover other sounds, and playing music at nurses' or doctors' spaces that do not face patient spaces, in order to ensure no unauthorized people see patient files or data (Martens et al, 2019).…”

“…Web-based patient intake reduces spoken communication between people and increases patient privacy because there is less opportunity for others to overhear private information. Patients are also more likely to be more complete in their intake form if they have the privacy and freedom to fill out the forms on their own, without having to face another person, given the vulnerability of the task (Martens et al, 2019). Feeling comfortable in intake is likely to improve patient outcomes because their course of treatment will be more holistically developed, and they will be overall more comfortable (Martens et al, 2019).…”

“…For many people undergoing health challenges, or needing to visit a breast care center, privacy is likely incredibly important. Even if the patient does not feel strongly about their own privacy, the centers themselves are required to follow privacy laws to protect their patients (Martens et al, 2019). Ensuring patient privacy is also a courtesy for people who are experiencing some sort of pain, illness, or discomfort and need to disclose personal information to strangers or near-strangers (Martens et al, 2019).…”