Patient Intimacy: Conceptualization and Theoretical Framework

Hospitals embrace patient-centricity initiatives to stay competitive, which may require establishing a close intimacy with patients. Yet, in the extreme service context of a hospital, the intimacy of patients (and their families) is often under stress, especially when patients often undergo exposures to (un)intimate situations that can elicit negative emotions and detrimental reactance, such as when patients withhold crucial health information to avoid sharing intimate details. On the basis of a multidisciplinary literature review and 39 in-depth interviews with various stakeholders from maternity wards (i.e., patients, medical staff, and hospital senior managers), this article offers a conceptualization and theoretical framework of the antecedents and short- and long-term outcomes of patient intimacy in healthcare services. This framework can direct healthcare providers and (service) designers, as well as provide a foundation for further research into patient intimacy.

Bio

From the HEC Liège website

Dr. Cécile Delcourt is Full Professor in Marketing & Services Management. Her research and teaching interests are customer experience management, customer-centric organizations, ethics in marketing, critical services such as healthcare, and consumer behavior. She holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from Radboud University (Nijmegen, the Netherlands) and HEC Liege. Cécile Delcourt has been a visiting scholar at the Bowling Green State University (Ohio, USA), Queensland University of Technology (Australia)—among others. She has published in the Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Journal of Philanthropy & Marketing—among others. She was the recipient of the “Highly Commended Paper” awarded by Emerald but also the” best paper award” granted by Services Special Interest Group of the American Marketing Association. Next to her academic commitments, she provides both international and national companies with workshops and advisory services to help them to become more customer-centric.