A Qualitative Patient Journey Map of the Ophthalmic Day-Surgery Experience

To identify the multidimensional health management needs of ophthalmic day surgery patients, and explore their preferences, adherence behaviors and self-management challenges throughout the care continuum via patient journey mapping, thereby providing targeted insights for optimizing clinical workflows, care services and enhancing care continuity.

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted from September to November 2024. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 22 ophthalmic day-surgery patients and 10 healthcare providers at a tertiary hospital in Hubei Province, China. Collected data were systematically analyzed using content analysis to construct a comprehensive patient journey map for ophthalmic day surgery.

The ophthalmic day surgery patient journey was segmented into five sequential phases along the treatment timeline: diagnosis, preoperative preparation, surgical intervention, postoperative recovery, and post-discharge monitoring. A total of 49 themes were identified across four core dimensions (health management tasks, emotional experiences, clinical pain points, and service improvement opportunities), with key findings including prominent age-related disparities in care experience, persistent preoperative anxiety among patients, insufficient adherence to medication and follow-up protocols, and critical gaps in post-discharge care continuity. Collectively, these themes formed a visualized patient journey map that fully reflects patients' dynamic preferences and self-management barriers across the entire care process.

The health management needs of ophthalmic day surgery patients are dynamic and multidimensionally interrelated across the whole treatment journey, with poor care continuity, weak multidisciplinary collaboration, and low adherence to self-management behaviors being the core clinical challenges. The constructed patient journey map reveals that optimizing age-friendly service design and establishing a continuous care system are the primary service implications for improving patient experience; targeted interventions addressing the above challenges can effectively enhance patients' treatment adherence and self-management capabilities, and further promote the high-quality development of ophthalmic day surgery services with a patient-centered approach.