What a Healthcare Recipient Values in Hospital Care: A Multi-Layered Identity Approach

Abstract

In order to implement value-based concepts like Lean Management or Value Based Healthcare, hospitals should have sufficient understanding of what (potential) health care recipients value in the services that are provided to them. In this respect, in this paper, we argue that hospitals should acknowledge the multi-layered identity of the healthcare recipient. Hence, hospitals should be aware that a healthcare recipient is at the same time a patient, a person and a customer. In this paper it is shown that this Multi-layered Identity Approach (MIA) can be helpful in a better understanding of what a (potential) healthcare recipient values in the services that are provided to him and why and when certain values are of importance during his journey through the hospital.