Build Improvements and Empathy with Shadowing
In the Patient Centered Value System (PCVS), we use shadowing to view care as it is experienced by patients, families and frontline employees. With this crucial and simple activity, we accurately capture the powerful voices of our stakeholders, we map the patient’s journey through the complete care experience and we create an opportunity for everyone to share their powerful voice. Shadowing is surprisingly simple, often fun and always valuable. Learn how this simple co-design tool helps you identify improvements, connect with patients, build empathy and create a culture of positive change.
What is Shadowing?
Shadowing is the direct, real-time observation of patients, families and employees as they move through a care experience. It is a foundational tool in PCVS and the key to co-desiging exceptional care experiences. By observing and reporting the authentic perspectives of patients, families and frontline caregivers, you will have the insight and empathy needed to build teams, make changes and improve experiences.
Shadowing identifies opportunities for improvement.
Shadowing gives real-time feedback. Patients, families and employees become partners in co-designing better care when the experience is viewed and documented from their unique perspectives. It is important to gather both objective and subjective information while you shadow:
Where are we now? How long have we been here?
Who does the patient interact with? Why and for how long?
How does this experience look, feel and sound to the patient?
Which processes are smooth? Which ones could be improved?
While times, locations, caregivers and workflows are important elements to document, feelings and reactions are equally as important. Think of shadowing as gathering all of the details of the patient’s unique story. Your observations will be reconstructed to create the picture of a typical patient journey complete with wins, gaps and opportunities to be better.
From your shadowing observations, you construct a Care Experience Flow Map. This can be in the form of a story, a map, a chart or any other visual representation of the patient’s journey. As long as it depicts the places (touchpoints) through which patients and families pass and the people (caregivers) with whom they interact, it will show the current state. Care Experience Flow Mapping is eye-opening and often prompts teams to ask, “How can we work together to improve?” See one team’s care experience mapping process here.
Shadowing leads to empathy.
Shadowing is your pathway to renewed empathy with patients and families. It provides the objective data - where patients and families go, for how long, who and what they see, hear and do. But objective data alone is not enough to motivate change. Shadowing gives a voice to the feelings, impressions and reactions of patients, families and employees as they travel through a care experience. It is this voice that reminds us why we became caregivers, and why we work every day to provide the best care. When we shadow, we connect with our patients. When we connect, we feel increased empathy. This connection and empathy create the urgency to drive and sustain change.
Shadowing creates a culture of continuous improvement.
Shadowing is an ongoing effort and should be done repeatedly over time. The current state of any care experience is dynamic, not static. You will always be evaluating the “new” current state and making changes to get closer to your goals. By shadowing repeatedly over time, you are seeing the ever-changing opportunities to improve as well as the impact of past improvement efforts. Think of shadowing and the improvement projects that result as an ongoing cycle. This cycle of continuous improvement builds energy over time…patients, families and employees feel heard and see their suggestions in action. Teams are more likely to speak up, take ownership and participate in changes as they see the results of co-design in action. The act of shadowing will shift your culture to one that thrives on continuous improvement.