Translating JTBD to Healthcare

Key reasons JTBD matters in healthcare:

• Improves patient satisfaction: By identifying real motivations, providers can craft experiences and services that resonate more deeply with what matters to patients.
• Drives healthcare innovation: JTBD uncovers unmet needs, fueling more effective solutions for everything from communication practices to room layouts.
• Supports better resource allocation: When hospitals and clinics understand “why” a task matters to the patient, they can prioritize improvements that truly make an impact.
• Aligns teams around patient outcomes: With a shared understanding of the jobs patients need to get done, care teams and administrators can make aligned, cross-functional decisions.

JTBD vs. Traditional Feedback

Understanding Patient Jobs Along the Journey

1. Before the Appointment – Intake and Scheduling

• "Help me quickly understand how to book the right care."
• "Reassure me that I’m doing what’s best for my health."
• "Make it easy to share my medical history and concerns."

2. Waiting Room Experience

• "Keep me calm while I wait to hear important news."
• "Assure me that the provider values my time."
• "Help me stay informed or distracted in a positive way."

3. During Treatment or Consultation

• "Get clear, personalized answers to my health concerns."
• "Feel that my provider understands my life and goals."
• "Make the most of our limited time together."

4. After the Visit – Follow-Up and Recovery

• "Track my progress and know I'm healing as expected."
• "Easily follow treatment instructions and next steps."
• "Reach out if I don’t feel right – without feeling like a burden."

Practical Example (Fictional)

For many patients, the experience begins long before they see a provider. The waiting room and intake process are often the first touchpoints that shape their overall impression. Unfortunately, these areas frequently create frustration due to long wait times, confusing paperwork, or unclear expectations. That’s where the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework starts to show real value.

Instead of focusing solely on technology upgrades or decor improvements—common but superficial fixes—JTBD digs deeper to understand the underlying emotional and functional “jobs” patients are trying to accomplish during these early moments.

Understanding the Real Patient Jobs in Waiting Areas

A patient in a waiting room isn’t just “waiting.” They’re trying to:

• Prepare mentally and emotionally for the visit
• Understand next steps in their care or who they’ll be seeing
• Feel seen, respected, and calm in a potentially vulnerable moment
• Minimize the perception of wasted time

By applying JTBD, hospitals and clinics can begin to reimagine the waiting room and intake process based on these actual patient needs rather than standard operational flowcharts.

For example, fictional research from a mid-sized clinic revealed that anxious patients were trying to “get oriented” as part of their mental preparation before intake. By adding simple, inclusive signage and a greeting station with a support staff member answering questions, the clinic reduced both confusion and check-in delays. It wasn’t about adding more steps – it was about designing around the job the patient was trying to complete.

Enhancing Clinic Efficiency by Rethinking Intake

Likewise, JTBD can be used to streamline administrative workflows. A common mistake is organizing the intake process around what’s easiest for staff. JTBD flips the script and asks: “What is the patient trying to achieve, and how can we remove friction for them?”

Whether patients are filling forms digitally at home or on-site, reworking questions to be less repetitive and more intuitive can reduce errors. Guiding their experience with prompts that align to their mental model – such as why certain information is being collected – helps make the process feel useful rather than bureaucratic.

The result? Improved clinic efficiency, less rework for staff, and most importantly, a better start to the patient journey.

Improving waiting room solutions and intake using JTBD doesn't require a complete facility remodel. It’s about aligning services with what people are really trying to accomplish—and doing so can make every visit feel more personalized and intentional.

What happens after a patient leaves the clinic or hospital is just as important as the care they receive on-site. Yet this final stage of the patient journey is often underdeveloped. Missed follow-ups, unclear instructions, and a lack of continued support contribute to confusion and poor adherence to treatment plans.

The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) methodology helps healthcare providers move beyond generic reminders and one-size-fits-all discharge materials. It refocuses efforts around what patients are really trying to do after a visit—and what stands in their way.

Identifying Post-Visit Jobs That Matter Most

Patients don't simply want to “follow up.” They may be trying to:

• Gain clarity on next steps, especially in complex diagnostic cases
• Feel reassured their care plan is working
• Access additional information if symptoms change or persist
• Coordinate follow-ups across multiple specialists or providers

Understanding these functional and emotional drivers allows hospitals and clinics to design systems that meet actual patient needs—rather than default workflows.

In one fictional JTBD-informed example, a provider discovered that patients recently treated for minor injuries were primarily trying to “regain confidence doing everyday activities again.” Rather than sending the usual printed discharge summary, the care team created a follow-up path with reassuring video content, checklists for safe movement, and a nurse call-back two days post-visit. Satisfaction scores rose and unnecessary return visits dropped.

Creating Post-Visit Strategies That Stick

When applying JTBD to post-visit patient follow-up strategies, keep in mind:

• Personalized outreach (texts, calls, or patient portal messages) aligned with each person’s specific job
• Intuitive scheduling tools that reduce friction in booking follow-ups
• Educational content that fits the job (“feel reassured,” “get answers”) rather than generic health brochures

This approach makes follow-ups feel meaningful, not perfunctory—and builds trust well beyond the appointment. It's a tangible way to improve patient satisfaction and long-term outcomes through patient journey mapping.

Used this way, JTBD becomes a cornerstone of healthcare innovation, helping organizations understand and support patients in ways that feel genuinely helpful, human, and organized.

For leaders aiming to advance care delivery, drive hospital workflow improvements, or reimagine clinic efficiency, the Jobs To Be Done approach doesn’t require a massive overhaul. In fact, JTBD is most powerful when used to make small, meaningful changes grounded in real patient needs.

Start With Curiosity, Not Assumptions

The first step is to listen. Whether through interviews, observations, or surveys, try to uncover what tasks, concerns, and emotions patients are navigating—not just what they’re saying, but what they’re actually trying to accomplish. This insight forms the foundation of strong healthcare design.

Some organizations partner with research firms to accelerate this process. Others start by equipping internal teams with methods for patient journey mapping grounded in JTBD thinking. Either way, progress often begins by asking: “What is the job our patient is hiring us to help them do?”

Apply JTBD to Small Wins First

Don't try to transform your entire care model at once. Start with one area—like reducing patient waiting time, simplifying the intake process, or improving discharge understanding—and use JTBD to guide each step.

For instance, examine where people drop off in your digital scheduling flow. Are they trying to “find a provider I trust” but don’t see credibility cues? That’s a JTBD insight you can immediately design around.

Build a Cross-Functional View

JTBD can be even more powerful when applied across departments. From front desk staff to care teams to IT, everyone benefits from seeing patient needs through a shared lens. It encourages collaboration and helps reduce siloed decisions that frustrate patients.

Over time, this framework can lead to smarter, more human-centered innovations across your system—from new services to tech investments—because they’re all rooted in the same foundational insight: what patients truly need and why.

By embracing JTBD as a continuous learning tool, healthcare leaders set the stage for smarter healthcare process improvement methods that ultimately deliver better care and stronger outcomes.