The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework has its roots in business and product design, where it's used to uncover why people choose certain products or services. But in healthcare, it goes one step further – helping providers, developers, and systems understand the deeper motivations behind how and why patients seek care. When we talk about 'Jobs to Be Done' in healthcare, we’re not referring to medical procedures or staffing roles. Instead, we’re identifying the personal, emotional, and functional “jobs” patients are trying to complete in their lives.

Think of it this way: patients don't always simply go to the doctor to receive a diagnosis. They might also go because they want reassurance, regain functionality, or get back to doing what matters most to them. From a JTBD perspective, they are “hiring” a service – like a clinic visit, telehealth app, or wellness program – to help them achieve these goals.

Core concepts of Jobs to Be Done in the healthcare setting

 
• Functional Jobs: These address physical or clinical needs, like relieving pain, improving mobility, or managing blood pressure.
 
• Emotional Jobs: These relate to how patients feel – safety, control, relief, or peace of mind.
 
• Social Jobs: These involve perceptions or implications in a social context, like appearing responsible, informed, or self-sufficient.

By identifying all three types of jobs, organizations can design more meaningful and effective care solutions. Understanding these layers leads to better patient-centered service design and healthcare strategies that don’t just treat conditions – they support life goals.

Let’s imagine a fictional example. A working mother with a chronic condition "hires" a digital health monitoring tool. On the surface, her job might seem clinical – track blood sugar levels, for instance. But the emotional job might be maintaining independence and not burdening her family. The social job might be managing her condition quietly, without impacting her role at work. A solution that tackles only clinical tasks, without supporting these deeper jobs, risks missing the mark.

This is why the jobs to be done framework in healthcare is gaining traction. It helps teams uncover what really matters to patients by asking, “What outcome is this person trying to achieve, and how can we help them get there?” It’s a human-centered lens – grounded in market research – that brings new clarity to healthcare innovation and health research.

In the Jobs to Be Done framework, the term “hire” is used to describe how consumers – or in this case, patients – choose a solution to help them accomplish a goal. This language may sound a little unconventional in healthcare, but it reflects a real behavior: patients are decision-makers. They weigh their options and select the services, providers, or technologies that best help them complete a job in their life.

The jobs patients are trying to get done are rarely just about treating a symptom. They might want to get back to work after an injury, reduce stress, manage a chronic illness, or prepare for an important event like becoming a parent. Every healthcare solution – from a traditional doctor’s visit to a digital health app – is something they “hire” to get the job done effectively.

Key factors patients consider when making healthcare choices

• Convenience: Can I access this care when and where I need it?
• Trust: Is this provider credible and empathetic?
• Effectiveness: Does this service reliably help me achieve my health goal?
• Alignment: Does this option fit my personal values, lifestyle, or emotional needs?

Let’s say a patient is dealing with anxiety. They could choose traditional therapy, a meditation app, or group counseling. Each addresses parts of the same job, but the one they “hire” depends on the blend of emotions, habits, and context surrounding them. If stigma is a concern, they may lean toward digital solutions. If they crave support, they might opt for a group setting. JTBD helps healthcare teams understand not just what patients choose, but why they choose it.

This is where patient insights and market research become essential. By listening to patients and mapping out their decision-making journeys, healthcare organizations can better match offerings to real-life behaviors and expectations. Data helps you move beyond assumptions and design truly patient-centered care.

Healthcare innovation using JTBD isn’t about predicting every move a patient makes. It’s about revealing patterns in behavior that uncover unmet needs, hidden motivators, and overlooked pain points. When providers and healthcare designers understand how patients “hire” different services, they can improve experiences, reduce friction, and fuel more sustainable healthcare growth.

In today’s digital health ecosystem especially, this approach is invaluable. With so many apps, platforms, and tools on the market, understanding how patients choose healthcare solutions is critical for designing tools that stick. Whether you're developing digital tools, launching new support models, or rethinking hospital strategy, JTBD gives you a practical, empathetic frame for patient-centered care.

At its core, the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is about uncovering why people make choices — not just what they choose. In healthcare, this mindset aligns directly with patient-centered care, which puts the patient’s needs, preferences, and goals first when designing services, tools, and treatments.

By shifting focus from product features or clinical outputs to the underlying motivations of patients, JTBD empowers healthcare teams to address real problems through more empathetic and practical solutions. This approach can spark meaningful healthcare innovation, especially when combined with design thinking and strategic market research.

Seeing Beyond Symptoms

Traditional healthcare models often concentrate on treatments for a disease or condition. JTBD, however, asks a broader question — what does the patient really want to achieve?

For example, imagine a patient with chronic back pain. While the medical approach could focus on physical therapy or medication, a JTBD perspective may reveal the patient’s goal is “to keep playing with my grandchildren” or “to avoid missing work.” These are the true jobs they are hiring healthcare to do.

Once identified, these deeper goals can guide innovations that go beyond clinical outcomes — including new service models, digital tools, or wraparound support programs that enhance everyday life. That’s what makes JTBD so powerful in healthcare design and innovation.

Driving Empathy in Innovation

When JTBD is embedded into a healthcare strategy, it helps organizations stay grounded in the reality of what people are trying to accomplish. It’s not just about improving outcomes — it’s about making healthcare feel more human.

Some common ways it supports innovation and service design:

• Shapes digital health apps around real-life routines and emotional triggers
• Informs hospital systems on how to structure services for smoother patient journeys
• Drives the development of preventative care solutions people are more likely to use

By understanding the full context of why patients make decisions, leaders can create experiences that not only treat illness but also address the practical barriers and emotional challenges people face along the way.

JTBD is especially effective when paired with qualitative research and human-centered insight gathering — where you hear the actual voices of patients, in their own words. These aren’t just data points; they’re windows into how people live, solve problems, and make healthcare choices.

Digital health tools — from mobile apps to telehealth platforms — are growing rapidly in today's healthcare landscape. Yet, many fall short when they don’t fully understand the specific motivations patients have when using (or abandoning) these technologies. The Jobs to Be Done framework helps align digital health solutions with real-world patient behaviors and expectations.

Here are a few fictional yet realistic examples of how JTBD is applied in digital health:

1. Managing a New Diagnosis

Job: “Help me understand what my diagnosis means so I don’t feel overwhelmed.”

A patient newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes may download an app, not just to track glucose levels, but to feel reassured and more in control. Digital platforms that incorporate coaching, emotional support, or tailored education help patients achieve this job more effectively than those focused solely on metrics.

2. Simplifying Day-to-Day Health Management

Job: “Make it easier for me to stick to healthy habits without disrupting my schedule.”

Many people struggle with consistency. A digital health tool aimed at medication adherence might succeed better if it integrates with a user’s calendar, provides gentle reminders, or even connects to refill services. The JTBD here isn’t just taking a pill — it’s maintaining routines while managing a busy life.

3. Providing Immediate Reassurance

Job: “Help me know if this symptom is serious, so I can stop worrying (or take action).”

Symptom checkers, chatbots, and telehealth services can all serve this job. But the most successful ones are reassuring as well as informative, offering emotional comfort and guidance about next steps without overwhelming users with medical jargon.

4. Helping Caregivers Support Loved Ones

Job: “Give me tools to manage my mom’s appointments and health info without being at her side.”

In care management scenarios, JTBD often focuses on logistical ease and peace of mind. Apps that include multi-user access, calendar sharing, or real-time updates empower caregivers to play a more active yet stress-free role.

These jobs go beyond functionality — they tap into the emotional and practical lives of patients. That’s why a JTBD approach, supported by market research and health research tools, helps design digital health experiences that stick and scale.

Adopting the Jobs to Be Done framework in healthcare isn’t just about improving individual experiences — it’s a practical strategy that can support long-term growth. By identifying what patients truly value, organizations can make smarter decisions about where to innovate, how to allocate resources, and what messages resonate with their audience.

Applying JTBD at Different Levels

JTBD can influence healthcare strategy at several levels:

• Service Design: Redefine care delivery models around patient goals rather than provider workflows.
• Product Development: Build tools and technologies that solve real jobs, increasing adoption and satisfaction.
• Brand Strategy: Craft messaging around what patients seek – freedom, relief, connection – instead of only promoting clinical benefits.

Whether you're a hospital system evaluating new care pathways or a digital startup building mental health solutions, JTBD can help uncover unmet needs that traditional models might miss.

Fueling Growth Through Research

Market research is essential to using JTBD well. Without listening to patients and caregivers firsthand, it’s easy to make assumptions that miss the mark.

Qualitative research — interviews, ethnographies, diary studies — gives voice to the jobs people are trying to do. Quantitative methods can then size those jobs, identify segments, and prioritize opportunities. Together, these approaches make JTBD actionable at scale for healthcare strategy and innovation teams.

JTBD Is a Catalyst for Strategic Focus

In today’s complex health ecosystem, growth often depends on finding the most relevant problems to solve. JTBD helps leadership teams focus on:

• Understanding patient behaviors and needs beyond demographics or diagnoses
• Validating new solutions before launch to ensure alignment with real-life usage
• Refining business models to support long-term engagement, not just one-time use

For example, a fictional health system applying JTBD discovered that patients weren't dropping out of physical therapy due to cost or pain — but because they felt discouraged by slow progress. This insight led them to redesign their recovery program to include more encouragement, milestone tracking, and peer comparison – boosting patient completion rates and satisfaction.

Ultimately, JTBD fosters a more human-centered approach to healthcare growth. It encourages teams to view patients not just as clinical cases but as people navigating complex emotional and practical challenges – challenges they “hire” healthcare services to help solve.