A patient journey is an imaginary pathway a patient takes as one progresses through different phases of the disease: from awareness to diagnosis to management, including all the influences that can push patient towards or away from certain decisions.

From patient's perspective, such journey map is a bird’s eye view of the pathway through the healthcare maze, with major milestones and rough travel times. It is not meant to be a comprehensive illustration of the disease management landscape or a precise navigational tool. An avid map explorer can view it critically and reflect on what is included as well as what is missing. But this map should be good enough for the majority of individuals to make an informed decision about their course of action. 

It should be noted that patient’s journey varies greatly per individual and per country. During the course of the disease, vitiligo patient visits different healthcare providers - from pediatrician to GP to mental health counselor - each with it's own "modus operandi." Among other distinctive markers of healthcare, sex differences may also translate to different patient journeys between men and women with vitiligo. But when striving for a better coordination of vitiligo patient care, it is vital to understand what a patient journey looks like in general.

We sought to examine each step of the vitiligo patient journey to better understand main patient pathways, timelines and care boundaries faced by vitiligo patients. This map was created in a facilitated discussion where we asked patient to walk us through their vitiligo care journeys from pre-diagnosis, through diagnosis to treatment and into the next chapter after treatment was completed. Participants provided rich detail regarding not only the medical aspects of their journeys but also their mindsets and feelings associated with various aspects of the care they received. The patients’ experiences were combined into a single, visual representation of their experiences. 

This Vitiligo Patient Journey Map is designed to get patient onto the fast track lane for reaching one's ultimate destination, with a clear understanding of different disease management options and lifestyle choices. A better understanding of the patient perspective by dermatologists and pharmaceutical companies can lead to better patient adherence to treatment, improved treatment outcomes, higher quality of life and overall wellbeing.

Feel free to download this Map, print it and hang it on the wall at the support group office or clinic. 

 

On January 29, 2024, this material has been updated with detailed explanations, maps for download in new languages and a video walk-through. Here it is!