Patient Journey Map Template for User Research

Patient journey maps include dimensions that standard user journey maps typically omit: clinical decision points, caregiver involvement, insurance and billing touchpoints, regulatory constraints (HIPAA, informed consent), and the emotional weight of health-related decisions. They also span longer timeframes (months to years for chronic conditions) and involve more actors than a typical SaaS user journey.

For a single condition and patient population, 8-15 patient interviews typically reach saturation (the point where new interviews stop revealing new insights). Supplement with 3-5 clinician interviews and, if possible, caregiver interviews. For a broader population or multiple conditions, increase the sample proportionally.

Always map the current journey first. The current state reveals where pain points actually exist, not where you assume they exist. Once the current state is validated, create a "future state" journey showing how your product changes the experience. The gap between the two is your product's value proposition.

Document the major variants. A patient on commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid will have meaningfully different experiences at authorization, referral, and cost transparency touchpoints. You do not need to map every plan, but you should map the 2-3 most common payer types in your target market and note where the journeys diverge.

Review the journey map after every round of user research and after any significant change to the care pathway (new treatment guidelines, new care settings, new payer policies). At minimum, revisit it quarterly if your product is in active development. A stale journey map is worse than no map because it creates false confidence. ---