A young boy and his parents pull up to the hospital parking booth which is brightly painted with all of his favourite cartoon characters. This makes the little boy smile and eases his anxiety at the sight of something familiar. An automated voice greets his parents through the speaker and directs them to closest available parking space. The ease of parking makes his parents smile. A ticket is printed and can be scanned on the way out, putting the parking space back into the system as available for the next patient.
The walk to the hospital entrance is filled with all kinds of wonders for the young eyes including; character shaped trees and bushes, murals on walls, sculptures, and much more.
The entrance way is beautifully decorated and looks like a fancy hotel or castle. Upon entering, the young boy is immediately greeted by the hospitals superhero mascot. He hugs the boy and wraps a superhero cape around him, which is now his to keep. The mascot guides the family to the reception desk. On the way they are shown the interactive waiting room, where all games are infused with medical jargon that make learning fun for all ages. Upon arrival at the desk, the family is given a warm welcome, and the mother a flower. The boy receives his hospital bracelet which can interface with the environment around him. He can scan it to open doors or secret compartments only accessible to him.
The family is given a hand-held tablet. All the information they need from the start to the end of their journey can be found here. It holds an encyclopedia of information, games, resources, school work, and anything else that will aid them on their journey. A personalized care plan is set up and can be accessed by the family at any time. All appointments and activities of daily living are coordinated in a fun and interactive manner. The system allows the patient to be in control of their own care plan, and adds to the cohesiveness of the experience. Appointments are called"missions" and come with clues to solve riddles and goals to be completed. A series of involved steps help occupy the mind and keep It focused on a task in times of idle waiting, adding to a sense of purpose.
The tablet guides the boy and his family up to his room through the augmented reality game where he sees his favourite cartoon characters greeting him at every turn. His room is filled with many interactive things, which can be personalized to suit his needs and likes. L.E.D track lighting can be turned to any colour of his choice. As well as the digital picture frames hung on the wall preloaded with hundreds of pictures to choose from. The bed has a teddy bear on it that will interact with the boy and the various games he will play throughout his stay, allowing for both teaching and learning opportunities. Almost everything can be personalized, adding to a sense of home and warmth. Everyone likes to be cozy and warm at home so, warm blankets are also always available to anyone at anytime.
The boy and his family now make their way down to his first "mission". Unit greetings and check-ins are almost always automated but it's okay. It does not take away from the customer service experience. Instead, the system is very user friendly and adds to the excitement of the discovery of the journey at the same time, relieving some strain on busy employees.
In the first 10 minutes of his stay the boy and his family have realized that health care is not something big and convoluted to be feared but a simple, wondrous journey of self discovery. After all, its child's play!
But the journey didn't actually start here.
Long before illness had entered their lives, the community had prepared them for the road ahead. Starting in kindergarten, children learned about health issues with annual field trips to the hospital and places of health care. They then became teachers themselves relaying this information to each other and their toys. Since annual trips were made all through the school years, these places have now become familiar, lessening any anxiety of going somewhere new.
The boys first mission was received at his first doctors appointment. So this too has prepared the boy as to what to expect in his journey and has helped it become routine. Making the transition between home and hospital easier.
The community and all of its inner workings should be intertwined, interconnected, and transparent. This way everyone knows how things work and what to expect and adds to the enjoyment of the experience in the first 10 minutes.
All community services must be on board with the program and linked together. A call for more transparency. Community Sponsers and schools can donate various goods, skills and labour and time. Greeters can be volunteers or paid students. Gift shops to raise revenue. A culinary student run restaurant for hospital revenue. It's Low cost to the hospital and a valuable learning experience for students and draws people to the facility. Pharmaceutical companies could also be a valuable partner.
