Upenn Cedar
Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, established by the Sisters of Mercy, has served West and Southwest Philadelphia for 98 years, with a mission to care for the underserved. However, despite several changes in management, the hospital has struggled to earn the community's trust.
3 Months
Research, User Insights, Journey Mapping, User Persona
Dovetail, Miro, User research methods, Google survey form
Healthcare
Academic onsite project
Project goal and objective
The project aims to address community mistrust toward Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, stemming from historical negative perceptions. It seeks to implement solutions for rebuilding trust, fostering positive relations, and enhancing the hospital's reputation through transparent communication and improved care standards. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage greater community engagement with the hospital by regaining their trust and confidence.
How might we resolve the issue of mistrust and perception between the community and the University of Pennsylvania, Cedar Avenue?
Solution
We conducted a total of 12 interviews, gaining a deep understanding of both the community's and hospital staff's pain points and needs. Using Dovetail, we meticulously categorized this information into five distinct areas: patients' shared pain points, their preferred hospital for commuting, their general perceptions of the hospital, awareness of the hospital's name changes over the years, and the reasons behind their choice of other hospitals despite Cedar's local presence. We then distilled these findings and user interview findings to extract key insights. Subsequently, we presented stakeholders with concrete solutions, along with actionable implementation strategies and highlighted the potential positive impact of these changes.
12
User interviews
06
Key Insights
05
Data categories
Conclusion
The main purpose of this research was to identify the root causes behind the mistrust that rose among the people of the community towards the hospital and come up with concrete strategies to resolve the issue of mistrust.
After deep diving into different research methods, getting involved with the hospital and the community to understand different sides of the issue, we conclude that there are multiple modifications for the betterment of the hospital-patient relationship.
The infrastructure, facilities, and constant efforts to improve can be backed up by the following for positive results in the future:
Advisory board (inclusive of staff and community members)
Staff training
Different teams dedicated for a range of issues
Transformed hospital entrance
Leverage social media and text messages
Organizing community drives
Educating the community and bring awareness
Youth engagement programs
Focus groups