Smart technology for a smarter patient: sketching the patient 2.0 profile

Patients’ behaviors are changing over time as effect of the Health 2.0 phenomenon that entails the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in healthcare. A new patient profile with growing expectations is emerging in today’s healthcare world. In this scenario patient satisfaction has to be pursued through disruptive marketing strategies: healthcare providers are required to establish closer relationships with patients by leveraging both physical, experiential and technological service elements. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed on a random sample of 2808 people divided into three groups: 737 outpatients and 861 inpatients of Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital (Milan, Italy) and 1210 citizens reached through an online survey while browsing the hospital webpage between January and April 2014. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were carried out. Beta coefficients were calculated to investigate the emerging patient satisfaction drivers. New healthcare guidelines were depicted in order to match patient 2.0 requirements.