Webinar: Patient Journey Mapping - Indigenous Patient Experiences in the Healthcare Setting
This webinar from The Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society, welcomes Sheri Hundseth Director, Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement, Providence Health Care (BC, Canada), to share how Indigenous-led patient journey mapping surfaces real experiences in hospitals—good and bad—and turns them into concrete system changes.
Key points:
What it is: Patient journey mapping sees Indigenous patients lead the story (through yarning). While there are various ways to capture discussions, Providence Health used a graphic illustrator to draw the journeys in real time. Patient journey mapping is about relationship-building, safety, and truth-telling, not a clinical audit
Why it matters: Ongoing anti-Indigenous racism means many patients avoid or delay care. People want basic dignity: respect, privacy, being asked, not assumed, about identity, and the right to ceremony and culture
Top pain points: Security interactions; fear of self-identifying as Indigenous; travel and accommodation barriers from remote communities; inconsistent communication; rushed or early discharge; poor aftercare; stereotyping around medications and substance use.
What helps: Indigenous wellness liaisons, elders, sacred spaces, cultural foods, longer relational time with clinicians, transparent explanations (including “we got it wrong, here’s the fix”), and coordinated care (e.g., aligning tests, clear discharge plans).
Evidence in action: 68+ mapped patient journeys have driven unit-level changes (including perinatal naming/ceremony spaces, Indigenous-informed recovery programs). Patients report feeling “heard” for the first time when seeing their map drawn live.
You can read more about the process - and be inspired on how to use it in your own service - here.