Patient Engagement: What Patients Want

When patients avoid their healthcare providers, it presents a grave problem. Without that connection to self-empowered care, patients lose out on the ability to really take control of their personal health. Providers need to deliver the methods to increase patient engagement that their patients want. Patient Engagement is crucial if providers want to see their patients thrive in regard to their health and as individuals. Research shows that increased levels of patient engagement lead to patients being more aware of their wellness, improved health outcomes, and an increased attention to detail. Patients who play a more dynamic role in their personal care become advocates for themselves and work harder to lead the healthiest lives they possibly can. Providers know the term patient engagement, but there is something else they need to consider. Providers need to consider what their patients are searching for to stay engaged with their provider.

Features of Patient Engagement

1)    Reminders

One of the more simpler aspects that patients wish to see from their providers is a system for receiving reminders. What seems like a basic feature, makes a huge difference to patients who struggle to keep track of their appointments and check-ups. Traditionally, patients who did not receive a reminder at all or they would, alternatively, get a call on the phone. While a phone call might have been enough for some people, it was not for others. It is not always easy to pick up a phone call during a busy day, especially when it is from a number a patient most likely does not save onto their phone. With new technology, providers can send email and text reminders to patients who might otherwise forget. This drastically reduces the number of no-shows that a provider sees in a day and draws patients in. By offering reminders, providers are able to increase patient engagement by jogging a patient’s memory and making sure they have the opportunity to communicate with their doctor.

2)    Telehealth

For most patients, a busy schedule is something that is unavoidable. Between working hard at their jobs, raising their families, or any other one of life’s responsibility are more important to patients than patient engagement. Due to the busy nature of our patient’s lives, it is important that providers no longer expect patients to come to the office to give their wellness the attention it needs. Providers need to go to where the patients are. This does not mean that providers must hop into their car and drive to wherever their patients are capable of meeting. All this means is that providers need to utilize telehealth to increase patient engagement. Telehealth offers patients a convenient alternative to in-office visit by allowing them to meet with their physician via live-video communication. Replicating a real in-person visit, a telehealth visit allows patients to continue their busy lives while still having a healthy level of patient engagement. Without having to spend time and money to get to the office, wait in the waiting room, and meet with their provider, patients can address health concerns and ask questions right from their computer and mobile device through video-chat.

3)    Direct Messaging

Just like with telehealth, patients want increased access to communication to their physicians as a way to increase patient engagement.  Sometimes questions pop up into a patient’s head, that when answered, can help them better understand how to lead a healthy life or understand their red flags. Seemingly small questions, when brought up, can uncover much larger issues. When providers are looking for ways to increase patient engagement, they should know that their patients would ask many more questions if they had a way to easily access their provider with simple questions. This is possible through the already required patient portal. Providers that offer their patients direct messaging or email communication will see an increase in the number of patients asking questions and playing a more active role in their personal care. This is what patients want when it comes to patient engagement.

Making this small effort to increase patient engagement in the way that patients want is what will lead providers to succeed in this area. Through appointment reminders, telehealth, and tools of communication through the patient portal like direct messaging, patient engagement is sure to increase. 

Interested in the above features? Contact our team to find out how you can add these amenities to your practice!