Putting people at the center: methods for patient journey mapping of viral hepatitis services across two LMICs in the Asia Pacific.

Background: To ensure that health services are high-quality, trusted and used by the population, their design and improvement should start from the perspective of what matters to people. Patient journey mapping (PJM) is one research method that centers the experiences of individuals living with health conditions and follows their pathways through care and recovery. This paper describes a novel, qualitative PJM methodology used in Vietnam and the Philippines to inform the co-design of a people-centered viral hepatitis screening, care and treatment pathway for individuals living with chronic hepatitis, which is a significant public health concern in the Asia-Pacific region.

Methods: Data collection involved in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 63 people living with hepatitis (demand-side) and focus group discussions with healthcare providers working in the same geographical areas (supply-side). Rapid deductive qualitative analysis was used to identify typical journeys, and related barriers and enablers. The methodology was implemented over 8 weeks, adapting the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).

Results: This paper demonstrates how a PJM methodology that incorporates patient and HCP perspectives can be feasibly implemented in two LMIC contexts, while fulfilling many of the criteria identified by the COREQ guidelines. Sharing such methods and associated instruments may help to enable broader uptake and application in other LMIC settings, providing health systems practitioners with a critical tool to identify and overcome barriers in and promote the delivery of people-centered health services globally.

Conclusion: Despite limited uptake, especially in resource-limited contexts and at the primary healthcare level, PJM is a novel research method with the potential to make promising contributions to people-centered health service design.