Meet Kristy Dickinson, Healthcare Strategist and Patient Advocate

As both a rare disease patient and strategic advisor, Dickinson brings a dual lens to healthcare. She has both lived experience and market insight. Swaay.Health sat down with Dickinson to get her opinion on the current state of patient experience. Her message was simple: if we want to fix the trust gap in healthcare, patients need to be at the design table, not just in the waiting room.

Key Takeaways

Don’t wait to co-design—start with patients, not after them. Patient and caregiver voices shouldn’t just “weigh in” on final deliverables. Bring them in at the concept stage to avoid wasted resources and build more relevant, trusted solutions. Plain language builds trust faster than polished messaging. Skip the jargon. Speak clearly, meet patients where they are—physically and digitally—and tell the truth fast. Attention spans are short; clarity is a competitive advantage. Trust is built through transparency, not perfection. Patients are more informed than ever. They don’t expect you to have all the answers, but they do expect honesty, shared decision-making, and access to information that respects their intelligence. Think Co-Design not Feedback

Too many marketing and experience teams still treat patient input as an afterthought. But asking for feedback on a fully built campaign isn’t just inefficient—it’s a missed opportunity to get it right the first time. Co-designing with patients and caregivers from the start ensures campaigns, portals, and educational tools meet their needs (ie: more likely to achieve the objective).

“Nike doesn’t develop their football cleats for their athletes and then bring in the athletes to have them try them on,” said Dickinson. “They co-design with the athlete that is wearing it in the specific sport. Healthcare shouldn’t be any different…you shouldn’t make anything without getting input.”

Imagine how much more effective and efficient healthcare would be if we co-created cancer journeys with patients, or diabetes outreach or OBGYN educational content.

Plain Language Earns Trust Quickly

Trust doesn’t come from clever slogans. It starts with clear, relatable communication. Our job as marketers is to simplify, not add more confusion.

“Healthcare is very complex, there’s lots of jargon,” lamented Dickinson. “But let’s look at who you’re talking to. How are you communicating? How are you delivering your education and content? Where are you reaching them?”

Marketing leaders should take cues from their patient’s trusted spaces – barbershops, churches, social platforms – and ensure their messaging not only shows up there, but in a voice, tone, and language patients can identify with.

Transparency Matters more than Polish

Building trust means engaging in real conversations, not just publishing feel-good messaging. The more honest and human the communication, the more credibility it builds.

“If you have an open and honest and transparent conversation with another human being,” stated Dickinson. “Take away your titles. Be human to human. That’s a connection. Those connections layer on top of each other until you get a relationship that is built on trust.”

What does this mean for healthcare marketers? It means that being transparent with patients matters more than launching the perfect campaign. It means don’t spend too much time polishing an engagement initiative. Get patients involved at the start, and roll it out quickly so you can iterate it together.

Time to Start Building with Patients

Patient trust isn’t something healthcare marketers can rebuild alone, but we can lead the charge. By co-designing from day one, speaking plainly, and showing up with honesty, we help create experiences that patients can believe in.

It’s time to stop talking at patients—and start building with them.

Connect with Kristy Dickison on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-dickinson/

Learn more about Kristy Dickison at https://kristydickinson.com/