Patient experience matters. Its importance continues to grow and remains a global priority for healthcare organizations. Central to patient experience is the awareness that leadership plays a vital role in driving the organization’s experience culture. So why is it so hard to deliver such experience in healthcare?

The healthcare system’s most magnificent capital is human resources, and they have to be understood and respected in their individuality. From that point, significant challenges are ahead. Having a patient-centric approach with an empathy-driven relationship would enable healthcare practitioners to redesign how research is done, potentialize and customize treatments, and prepare medical professionals in all levels with much higher efficiency.

Understanding that each person is different seems obvious, but, in fact, it is incredibly challenging. We tend to think that anything unfamiliar to us, by our personal standards, is automatically a negative (and often wrong). We hardly remember that we represent what is different to each other.

To offer the patient a good experience, it is a must to build better relationships . . . and for that, we need to look at ourselves and perceive our imperfections and differences, and learn to respect ourselves as well. Only when we look inward and observe ourselves with all the vulnerability that we see in each other can we connect as human beings. We must have the opportunity to perceive ourselves as the other, and then to understand and look together at the world around us. At this point, the barrier between doctor and patient will be broken and, finally, the connection will be made.

This is a constant exercise in practicing empathy. The leading discovery is that empathy comes from our ability to connect with others—to create that bond in which I recognize something in the other person, something human, something that will unite us even with all the differences. Empathy can help to foster relationships, enhance engagement, and drive accountability in delivering excellence in experience. With empathy as a value for a healthcare organization, there is an excellent chance that patient satisfaction would increase substantially, and costs, too, would be significantly lower.

I am very excited to discuss how to achieve patient experience excellence through empathy on August 6 at the ATD Talent Development Summit. Lots of audience participation and questions will be most welcome!