NRC Health, the leading partner in building Human Understanding® through personalized healthcare solutions and data-driven insights, today released its 2023 Pediatric Experience Perspective and trends report. The report takes a broad view of the pediatric healthcare experience and highlights how the power of Human Understanding can reframe the fundamentals of pediatric healthcare.

Providing excellent care for children, adolescents and their families requires a deep understanding of individual circumstances, needs, and expectations. The lack of three things – emotional support, listening, and time spent with patients – appears to offer a direct path to disappointing patients and families. In fact, NRC Health data shows that nearly 55 percent of parents feel that pediatric hospitals should provide better quality care than any other kind of hospital.¹

“Healthcare often feels like a series of transactions,” said Gregory Makoul, Ph.D., MS, Chief Transformation Officer, NRC Health. “Our Pediatric Experience Perspective unveils the power of humanizing care by taking a broad view of experience and addressing what matters to patients, families, and care teams all along the way.”

First released to attendees of the NRC Health Pediatric Collaborative, co-hosted by Phoenix Children’s March 28-29, 2023, in Phoenix, AZ, the report captures data and insights from 300,000 consumers, the largest online consumer healthcare-consumer perception study in the U.S., more than 300 healthcare leaders from 98 diverse hospitals and health systems, and 25 million patient experience touchpoints.

Additional findings include:

• Nearly 55 percent of parents feel that pediatric hospitals should provide better quality care than any other kind of hospital
• Both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health volumes have increased markedly since 2020
• Post-discharge alerts are on the rise – the percentage of children and adolescents needing follow-up after discharge has increased markedly over the last four years, particularly in emergency and outpatient settings
• Utilizing hospital websites as first steps to finding appropriate care is up – consumers are using these websites just as they shop for other services: first searching, then reading reviews, and finally diving deeper so they know what to expect
• Retail clinics continue to appeal to parents – If forced to wait more than an hour for care, parents are 10 times more likely to provide negative NPS evaluations

The report also includes a selection of the most insightful trends healthcare leaders need to bear in mind as they work to strengthen their organizations and build healthier communities.

For additional insights and a look at trends to guide work in 2023, access the NRC Health 2023 Pediatric Experience Perspective here.

¹ NRC Health’s Market Insights special study of quality, 2022

About NRC Health

NRC Health is ranked #1 for Patient Experience Improvement in the 2023 Best in KLAS report.

For more than 40 years, NRC Health (NASDAQ: NRC) has led the charge to personalize healthcare and support organizations in their understanding of each unique individual. NRC Health’s commitment to Human Understanding^® helps leading healthcare systems get to know each person they serve not as point-in-time insights, but as an ongoing relationship. Guided by its uniquely empathic heritage, NRC Health’s patient-focused approach, unmatched market research, and emphasis on consumer preferences are transforming the healthcare experience, creating strong outcomes for patients and entire healthcare systems. For more information, email info@nrchealth.com, or visit www.nrchealth.com.