Reply To: Exercise 5: 5 People Who Feel the Problem
Exercise 5
Five quotes, one from each person you spoke with, that states the problem in their terms from their perspectives:
Joe often felt rushed during his doctor visits, spending most of the appointment with a nurse before the doctor arrived briefly, leaving him feeling frustrated and overcharged. Sharing his feedback with the clinic and requesting more direct face-to-face time with the doctor could help improve his experience. Additionally, exploring ways to support doctors in managing their workload might enable them to dedicate more time to each patient.
Sarah sometimes felt disappointed when, due to her doctor’s unavailability, she was offered an appointment at a distant, inconvenient location, leading her to skip the visit. She was frustrated and concerned about the potential discontinuity in her care. Offering a telehealth visit could help solve the issue of inconvenient travel distances.
Lawrence couldn’t see his specialist for about three weeks, which left him feeling anxious as he waited, he was uncertain about his health status.
Wendy had difficulty reaching her primary care physician via the portal and was only able to connect after two days, leaving her feeling frustrated
Out of the five people I spoke with, Ron was the only one who didn’t encounter access issues. His clinic is nearby, and if he couldn’t get there on his own, he’d ask a neighbor for help. He rarely needs to visit the doctor, aside from his routine checkups.
• How did you feel about the exercise before starting? Were you anxious, excited, confused?
Before starting this exercise, I felt a bit overwhelmed in finding 5 people to talk to. I wanted to talk to different people to get diverse feedback so that it will be more comprehensive. Due to scheduling and other projects that I have been working on, it took me longer than expected to find 5 people to talk to.
• How did your feelings change as you did the exercise?
The issue I wanted to tackle is healthcare access. Initially, I focused on physical access to hospitals and clinics, particularly transportation. However, the people I interviewed didn’t encounter transportation problems.
I was a bit surprised that transportation wasn’t as significant an issue as I initially thought, as most people reported no challenges with it. It wasn’t until I probed deeper, asking them to consider any negative experiences or factors that discouraged them from visiting the doctor, that I discovered other access issues.
• How did you feel during the conversations? How did the other people seem to feel?
When I realized that transportation wasn’t a primary issue, I began thinking about how to make the conversations and my project more impactful. This led me to guide them in exploring the concept of access more broadly. The interviewees were eager to help, and when discussing their experiences, they often seemed frustrated by other barriers they faced.
• Do you feel differently about your project? • Has your motivation changed?
Yes, I have realized there are additional issues I should address regarding access, particularly in getting in touch with doctors and securing enough face time with them. However, my motivation remains the same: to enhance healthcare access for everyone.
• Do you feel your understanding of the problem and the quality of the solution improved?
I believe my understanding has deepened. Initially, I was fixated on my own access challenges from childhood. However, through conversations with different people, I have gained insight into the diverse issues others face. This has broadened my perspective on “access” and helped me consider it in new ways.
• Do you think the people you talked to are interested in learning how the project evolves?
Yes, they were eager to help by sharing their perspectives on the challenges they face.
• How would you characterize the conversations—boring, fun, exciting?
The conversations were really enjoyable. I loved hearing about everyone’s unique experiences and perspectives. Their openness made our discussions meaningful, helping me understand aspects I hadn’t thought about before.