Patient journey mapping: A literature review

INTRODUCTION: Quality improvement efforts in healthcare have typically focused on reducing costs, decreasing wait time, or increasing regulatory compliance [1]. Recent emphasis on patient-centered care, coupled with increasing competition among larger consolidated health systems to acquire new patients, provide the impetus to assess and enhance current patients’ experience. Patient journey mapping (PJM) is a relatively novel method to evaluate the patient experience during or following the caregiving episodes. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews various research papers on the patient journey mapping process, their methodologies, and outcomes achieved for patients, providers, and the health system. METHODOLOGY: We used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to synthesize current knowledge of patient journey mapping using keywords related to PJM and patient experience. We reviewed selected articles in detail on the purpose of the manuscript, tools and methods, and their outcomes. RESULTS: We summarized the characteristics of the reviewed paper, the development of PJM tools, and PJM’s applications in various healthcare settings. CONCLUSION: Patient journey mapping supports the advancement of patient experience measurement techniques. This review enables hospitals to introduce process improvement protocols that prioritize patient experience, cost, and efficiency. Enhancing patients’ experiences improve care quality, health outcomes, resource utilization, and treatment adherence.