Elvis Montero

Innovation and technology from a different perspective

When one thinks about technology and innovation, a hospital may not necessarily be the first place springing to mind. That certainly was my position until very recently. This of course changed when I, following a classmate’s suggestion, studied Shouldice as part of a project in one of my classes at RIT. I learned a valuable lesson: innovation is more than just technology. Processes (i.e. how things are done and why) are equally important. The following is what I presented in class after my research and contemplation of Shouldice.

NOTE: This was supposed to be a business analysis. Thus, it’s rather linear and direct. The presentation and “paper” combined were supposed to be no more than 1 page long.

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Presently, the ability to create holistic experiences for customers largely determines the success or failure of a business. Manufacturing and distributing a product or service is just the beginning. Nowadays, customers expect to receive gratification from the product or service before, during and after the sale has taken place.

Shouldice is an excellent example. The hospital’s founder not only came up with a brilliant hernia removal process, but he went further ahead and created an entire experience for the convalescents. Patients not only get their hernias removed, they also stay in a very relaxing and unrestricted environment afterward. They can roam freely around the hospital’s amazing landscape and enjoy the many amenities set to entertain them and ameliorate their post-operation discomfort. Furthermore, the recovery process is quite unique. Fellow patients can get together and share their experiences and stories, creating an immediate sense of community. Thus, it can be easily seen that these innovations (i.e. the hernia removal process, the post operation treatment and the soothing environment) constitute the remarkable Shouldice experience.

Does this look like a hospital to you?

Source: saludygestion.com

Finally, the only recommendation I can really make to Shouldice, from a technological standpoint, is that the organization should update its website and overall online experience. The hospital’s Internet site could be heavily enhanced to showcase the nature of Shouldice’s hernia removal process – currently, there’s only a text description of the technique – as well as to include more multimedia elements for future patients’ clarification. This course of action, combined with Shouldice’s incredible reputation thanks mostly to word of mouth, would draw more attention, and patients, to the healthcare center.