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A high level of patient engagement can lead to better healthcare outcomes and a more successful practice.
How patients engage with their healthcare is changing, largely due to the advent of medical software solutions and their ability to streamline secure communication between healthcare providers and patients. High levels of patient engagement can improve healthcare outcomes and keep practices functioning smoothly. When patients are engaged, their information stays current, reducing the need for staff to ensure accuracy. This guide offers everything you need to know about patient engagement in modern healthcare.
Patient engagement is the process patients undergo to proactively participate in their own healthcare and within the healthcare system. The Center for Advancing Health reinforces this view by expanding the definition to include individuals’ actions to gain the most benefit from a healthcare provider or healthcare services. A study published in the Journal of Patient Experience deepens this definition by looking at patient engagement as patient activation, a process in which healthcare organizations play an active role.
Specifically, the study states that patient activation – which it defines as an underlying urgency to monitor and proactively take measures to manage one’s holistic well-being – can also be seen as a push toward a deeper level of involvement that only occurs when a person understands their importance in the care process. The same analysis also discusses the importance of understanding patient perspectives to improve patient participation in the healthcare system.
Patient engagement is an essential aspect of quality healthcare for the following reasons:
When exploring patient engagement, the focus is often on the measures healthcare professionals take to deepen their involvement with patients. Yet effective patient engagement requires a shift in how healthcare professionals understand and approach the patient process and experience. Communication is key.
Consider the following ways healthcare providers can improve communication:
Achieving effective patient engagement can pose significant challenges, responsibilities and risks for healthcare providers. Still, driving higher proactivity is well worth the trouble.
Several key risk management strategies can improve patient engagement:
Begin patient engagement by providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for patients and their family members. Try to imagine where the patient is coming from and what they feel like at the moment of care, and use empathy in your approach.
Clinicians and doctors should assume all patients need a better understanding of the information shared with them – especially as it pertains to maintaining and improving their health. Within this approach, it is essential to use plain language and easy-to-read fonts in documentation.
Encourage patients to use the patient portal to view their lab results and send additional information about their medication via a secure inbox. This accessibility can empower patients to become more engaged with their health care.
Additional tech tools that can boost patient engagement include the following:
When facing health challenges, patients can feel overwhelmed. Introducing a support group provides additional information and support by connecting them with those who have firsthand experience with their condition. It’s important to provide access to both online and local, face-to-face support groups.
Clinicians and healthcare professionals should strive to use visual aids whenever possible. Diagrams, images, pictures and even videos can help make complex concepts easier to understand. Once these visual aids are leveraged – specifically in the decision-making process – patients can more easily work with their family members and doctors to choose the best treatment options.
Some medical software makes it incredibly easy to share visual images of lab results, health trends over time and more with patients. These platforms can also make visual information readily available in patient charts and notes. For a closer look at medical software that includes visual tools, consider our DrChrono review, our AdvancedMD review and our athenahealth review.
The swell toward advancing patient engagement may sound fairly straightforward, but digging deeper highlights the challenges that remain. Yet providers, healthcare professionals and patients are more satisfied with their healthcare once they are all aligned on the risks and benefits of their treatment options and decisions. Leveraging the tools and tactics we mentioned can drive patient engagement, helping patients feel that you understand their needs and preferences.
Shayna Waltower contributed to this article.