The hospital patient journey experience from adolescents' perspective: a multimethod study

The patient's perspective is considered a key element in the design of quality healthcare services and a driver of organizational improvement. The experience along the hospital journey may vary by patient age-particularly for adolescents-for whom the literature remains limited. This study aims to investigate whether the experience captured from the adolescent perspective has different or novel attributes compared with adults, identifying and exploring the variables that characterize adolescents' experiences during hospitalization.

A two-phase, multi-method qualitative study was conducted. In phase one, adolescents were shadowed from admission through discharge to identify the most salient aspects and emotions experienced along the hospital journey. In phase two, semi-structured interviews were conducted to describe adolescents' hospitalization experience.

Six patients and six parents hospitalized for appendicitis participated in phase one. The adolescent hospital journey unfolds in four main phases-admission, surgery, postoperative phase, and discharge-with 11 subsequent steps. During the journey, adolescents encountered on average three professional profiles (nurses, physicians, support staff), with a daily mean of 14.4 interactions. In total, four adolescents, four parents, four physicians, and four nurses were interviewed. Boredom emerged as a distinctive feature of adolescents' hospitalization experience.

The analysis of adolescents' hospitalization experiences highlights new factors that should be considered essential and distinctive components of the patient experience.

The findings highlight the need for adolescent-specific communication and relational strategies to address emotional distress during hospitalization. Simple organizational interventions may improve adolescents' hospital experiences and support more patient-centered pediatric care.