Improving Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is a hot topic in healthcare. The consensus is that patient engagement is essential from both a physician's and healthcare institution's standpoint and an individual patient's point of view. But what exactly is patient engagement, and why is it so important?

Patient engagement involves patients taking an active role in their health, including sharing information with their doctor about their lifestyle, diet, and exercise habits, and assuming a more active involvement in their care plans. It also includes checking in with their doctor regularly, following up on test results and treatment recommendations, and keeping track of medications prescribed.

Patient engagement can help improve outcomes for patients by keeping them involved in their care plans, which can lead to better compliance with recommended treatments and lifestyle changes — and ultimately better results for the individual and the institution as a whole.

Why Patient Engagement Matters

Patient engagement is a multi-disciplinary, cross-functional approach to improving the human experience of healthcare at every level. It's about putting patients first and engaging them as active participants in their care. Each of the three hierarchies of healthcare, whether individual patients, healthcare providers, or institutions, can benefit from implementing it correctly.

Patients

At the individual level, patient engagement can help patients make better decisions about their health. It also helps them take more ownership over their condition and treatment, boosting their sense of agency and self-efficacy and, ultimately, helping them improve their quality of life.

Providers

For the provider, patient engagement gives healthcare providers a clearer picture of their patient's individual experiences and feelings, offering insight into why they might not comply with treatments or take medications as prescribed. These insights make it easier for healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat diseases that may otherwise go undiagnosed or untreated because patients don't report them.

Institutions

Finally, at the institutional level, patient engagement enables hospitals to understand how well patients utilize their resources and how resources need to change to provide better care overall. It can also help hospitals identify areas where they need more resources or training to meet their patients' needs.

Limiting Factors Creating Roadblocks for Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is a critical part of healthcare, and it's something that doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies are all trying to improve. However, many obstacles are preventing these improvements from happening. These often include things like:

• Patients who don't have time to keep up with their health.
• Hospitals aren't open to patient feedback about what they could do better.
• Doctors who aren't trained in patient engagement techniques or aren't interested in learning them.

Technological literacy, or lack thereof, also creates roadblocks for patient engagement. Many patients do not know how to use the tools available to them, or they don't understand how they can benefit from those tools. In some cases, they may not have access to it in their day-to-day lives.

Many healthcare clinics and institutions are also running outdated systems that make it difficult for patients to use online portals and other digital tools provided by the clinic. If a healthcare provider's system requires updates before offering any new services or tools, this could create problems for patients who would otherwise like to be more involved in their healthcare.

Solutions for Improved Patient Engagement

With the rise of modern communications technologies, patient engagement has become easier than ever before. There are now several technological innovations that can improve patient engagement, especially patient engagement platforms and software.

A patient engagement platform allows healthcare providers to better connect with their patients. These platforms make it easy for patients to schedule appointments, and communicate with their doctors and other healthcare team members. This technology also allows patients to submit feedback on their experiences with the practice and stay up-to-date on new treatments or procedures in the field.

Patients can also use online portals to communicate with each other through online communities and forums where they share tips about healthy lifestyles and discuss concerns related to their health conditions.

Start Using Patient Engagement Software

Patient engagement platforms improve patient engagement by connecting patients to their caregivers, making it easier to stay in touch with their doctors and medical teams.

At QliqSOFT, we believe that engaging the patient is key to improving healthcare for the public. We develop patient engagement platforms that help you reach out to your patients, get them engaged in their health, and empower them to make better decisions about their lives. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you improve your patient experience.