Case Study: Radboud Hospital Supports Young Cancer Patients With An Online Community

The Dutch Radboud Academic Medical Center recognized a need to strengthen its relationships and better meet the needs of its adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology patients. Based on the results of interviews with the patients, the hospital decided to build a community that would help engage this unique patient group in treatment decisions, provide support, and give them a platform to meet with their peers and discuss their illness. In addition to the standard social media concerns around risk and opportunity, Radboud's unique audience needs required it to address key questions about setup, content, ownership, and access control that customer experience professionals from any type of organization can learn from. The results for Radboud Hospital: higher patient satisfaction, fewer unscheduled visits to the hospital, and, most importantly, more confident young patients.