Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a framework that focuses on what people are trying to achieve in a given situation – their underlying motivations. Rather than just looking at the surface-level behavior, JTBD helps uncover the deeper goals that drive decision-making. While widely used in product development and innovation, it's increasingly becoming a valuable tool in healthcare settings.

In healthcare, JTBD goes beyond traditional patient needs assessments by identifying the functional, social, and emotional “jobs” patients are trying to get done. These could range from relieving physical symptoms to feeling reassured or regaining a sense of normalcy. When clinicians approach care with this mindset, it opens the door to more meaningful interactions and aligned treatment plans.

For example, consider a patient who comes in with recurring chest pain. The functional job may be to ease the pain, but the emotional job might be to reduce fear of something being seriously wrong. The social job could be maintaining the ability to provide for their family. Each of these needs contributes to the patient's behavior, communication, and choices. Understanding each job helps clinicians better tailor their approach.

Different types of 'jobs' patients are trying to complete:

• Functional: Managing a symptom, recovering from surgery, receiving a diagnosis
• Emotional: Feeling safe, reducing anxiety, being heard or understood
• Social: Maintaining independence, staying connected to loved ones, returning to work

By identifying these jobs, healthcare professionals can improve both outcomes and the overall patient experience. This approach is especially useful in high-stress clinical environments, where time is limited and patients may not clearly articulate their concerns.

JTBD in healthcare becomes a guiding lens – one that aligns clinical action with the motivations and priorities of the patient. In practice, this might involve asking more insightful intake questions, listening for emotional cues, or adjusting care plans to better match what the patient values most. These small changes can create a significant impact on trust and satisfaction.

Ultimately, JTBD adds a human-centered layer to decision-making and care delivery. It’s an efficient framework to better understand patient behavior, especially for decision-makers who want scalable tools that enhance both medical empathy and operational excellence.

Empathy is more than kindness – in medicine, it’s a core communication skill that can greatly influence outcomes, compliance, trust, and long-term relationships with patients. When clinicians show they understand not only what a patient is feeling but also why they feel that way, it builds a stronger foundation for care.

Clear, compassionate doctor-patient communication has been linked to improved patient satisfaction, better treatment adherence, and even faster recovery times. However, empathy in medicine isn't always intuitive, especially in fast-paced healthcare systems with high patient volumes, burnout, and time constraints. That’s where tools like Jobs To Be Done can help providers connect the dots between emotional intelligence and practical care delivery.

Clinicians who use empathy effectively tend to:

• Build faster patient trust by addressing emotional cues
• Deliver clearer explanations that reduce confusion or fear
• Pick up on unspoken concerns that may otherwise go untreated
• Encourage patients to be more open and honest about symptoms or challenges

For example, imagine a fictional case where a patient repeatedly misses follow-up visits. Without empathy, it might be viewed as noncompliance. But by using JTBD principles, a clinician might uncover that the patient's underlying job is to protect their employment, and the appointment times conflict with work hours. Understanding this job creates empathy and a more personalized solution – rescheduling or connecting care virtually, rather than defaulting to judgment.

Empathy training for doctors often focuses on active listening and emotional validation, but JTBD adds an additional layer by helping providers understand what jobs are patients trying to get done with each visit. This mindset shift encourages curiosity and builds patient-centered care into the structure of communication, not just the tone.

Today’s healthcare leaders are increasingly asking how to improve patient communication in ways that scale across care teams and systems. Using JTBD in patient care enables providers to meet needs more efficiently while preserving the human element – something AI and automation alone can’t replace. By giving clinicians a framework to interpret behavior through the lens of human motivation, JTBD becomes a pathway to stronger relationships and better outcomes.

Ultimately, embedding empathy in medical communication is not about scripts – it’s about seeing the person, not just the patient. JTBD offers a practical way to put this into daily practice.

While clinicians are trained to diagnose and treat physical symptoms, what often goes unseen are the emotional needs patients carry into the exam room. This is where the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework stands out. Originally developed to understand consumer behavior, JTBD is now gaining traction in healthcare as a tool to support emotional intelligence and empathy in clinical interactions.

At its core, JTBD suggests that people “hire” a product or service to complete a specific job in their life — not just functional, but emotional and social jobs too. In a clinical context, this means looking beyond the chart to ask: What is the patient really trying to achieve during their visit?

Identifying Emotional Jobs in Patient Care

When applied to healthcare, JTBD shines a light on the often unwritten emotional goals behind a patient’s behavior. These are not just about getting a diagnosis, but might include:

• Feeling heard and validated by a trusted professional
• Reducing anxiety about a potential health issue
• Maintaining dignity in the face of a difficult diagnosis
• Gaining peace of mind through clear next steps

Understanding these emotional jobs can dramatically improve doctor-patient communication. For instance, a patient asking many questions during a routine appointment may not be challenging the clinician — they may be trying to fulfill an emotional job: regaining a sense of control during a stressful health experience.

Empathy in medicine is often described as walking in the patient’s shoes. JTBD gives clinicians a roadmap to do exactly that by identifying the motivations behind behavior, not just the behavior itself. This results in more tailored communication, more compassionate interactions, and ultimately, care that meets the human behind the diagnosis.

Incorporating JTBD doesn’t require new tools as much as a new mindset. Training clinicians to ask better qualitative questions – like “What do you hope to get out of this visit today?” – can surface the hidden emotional needs that otherwise go unspoken. When clinicians understand what jobs patients are trying to get done, they create space for trust, clarity, and connection.

To understand the impact of Jobs To Be Done in healthcare, it’s helpful to explore real-world inspired (fictional) examples that demonstrate how this framework helps clinicians uncover and respond to deeper patient needs. These stories illustrate how improving empathy doesn’t always mean having more time — it's often about recognizing the right 'job.'

Example 1: The Annual Physical That Reduced Patient Anxiety

Consider a patient coming in for a standard checkup. Instead of a quick review of vitals, the primary care provider uses a JTBD mindset and asks, “What brings you in today beyond the physical?” The patient shares concerns about aging and feeling out of control with their health. The clinician acknowledges the emotional aspect, takes extra time to explain changes in test results, and outlines a manageable plan. The patient leaves not just medically informed, but emotionally reassured — the job of “feeling in control and proactive” was fulfilled.

Example 2: Chronic Condition with a Hidden Emotional Job

A woman with recurring migraines has tried numerous treatments without much relief. During a JTBD-informed consult, her doctor learns that what she really wants is the ability to attend her child’s school events without fear of a flare-up. The emotional job isn't just “reduce headaches,” but “be a dependable presence as a parent.” With this insight, the care plan shifts to include preventive strategies aligned with her lifestyle. This reframes care around what matters most to the patient, enhancing the overall patient experience.

Example 3: Specialist Visit with a Trust Gap

In a follow-up appointment with a new specialist, a patient appears suspicious and disengaged. A JTBD-trained provider recognizes that the job might be “regain trust after a previous negative medical experience.” They take time to review the patient’s full history, validate past frustration, and explain decisions thoroughly. This thoughtful conversation lays a foundation for trust, showing how JTBD can serve as a healthcare empathy tool.

These fictional scenarios underscore one key takeaway: when clinicians attune to the emotional needs of patients using a framework like JTBD, care becomes more personal, effective, and empowering. Whether it’s reducing fear, restoring autonomy, or being seen as more than a number, these emotional jobs are often the true drivers of satisfaction and healing.

Putting Jobs To Be Done into practice doesn’t require a full system overhaul — but it does ask providers and care teams to shift how they view conversations with patients. Integration starts with intention and small changes that spark deeper understanding. By weaving JTBD into day-to-day routines, healthcare teams can enhance doctor-patient communication, build trust more quickly, and deliver care that resonates on a human level.

Practical Ways to Apply JTBD in Healthcare Settings

Here are a few simple entry points to begin using JTBD in patient care:

• Ask open-ended questions like “What are you hoping to accomplish with today’s visit?” This surfaces both medical and emotional goals.
• Train staff to listen for emotional jobs – such as the need for reassurance, simplicity, or dignity – and reflect back those needs when responding.
• Map the patient journey with JTBD in mind. Identify moments where unmet emotional or functional needs might exist (e.g., registration, explaining treatment plans, discharge conversations).
• Include empathy exercises and JTBD thinking in clinician communication and empathy training programs. This improves awareness and consistency across care teams.

While many empathy training programs focus on tone or body language, JTBD adds another layer: purpose. It frames empathy not just as being kind, but as understanding what the patient is really trying to achieve. This makes communication more relevant and effective.

Healthcare organizations using JTBD as a framework to improve medical empathy have seen benefits in patient satisfaction scores, greater adherence to treatment plans, and improved team morale. When the clinician understands the broader job – whether that’s “help me feel secure about a scary procedure” or “make it easier to talk about difficult decisions” – patients notice and respond with greater trust.

Over time, integrating JTBD into routines can become second nature across departments and disciplines. With repetition and support, this mindset shift enhances both the patient experience and the well-being of care providers who feel more connected to the people they treat.