5 Effective Ways To Engage With Your Patients

Patient engagement is one of the most used phrases in the Healthcare IT now; every expert believes that implementation of effective patient engagement method is going to be the key to the success of every healthcare entity, it is certainly being considered as the future of healthcare. Here are 5 effective ways to engage with your patients

1. Healthcare Mobile apps- According to Pew research center 90 percent of U.S. adults own a cell phone and 58 percent of U.S. adults own a smartphone. Thirty-one percent of cell phone owners and 52 percent of smartphone owners have used their phone to look up health or medical information. Among the findings from a Strategy& survey of 2,339 U.S. residents, more than a 25% of respondents said they'd rather interact with their health care provider digitally rather than in person or over the telephone. Aforesaid figures speak volumes about the role of mobile apps in implementing effective patient engagement ecosystem.
2. Use of Social media- Healthcare organization can use their social media pages to post surveys, information etc. to engage patients with relevant information. In today's era, people are more inclined to respond to social media pages rather than web portals.
3. Leveraging wearable devices- Along with smartphones, today's tech-savvy population is equally crazy for wearable devices such as Apple watch, FitBit etc; Healthcare organization can have their mobile apps integrated with these wearable devices; data received using these devices can help healthcare organizations to prepare information which can definitely be engaging for patients.
4. Availability of Educational material on the internet- Below are few findings from Google & Pew research center - 1 in 20 Google searches is for health-related information,80 percent of Internet users seek online health information, 77 percent of patients used a search prior to booking an appointment, 66 percent of Internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical problem. These findings clearly suggest that if healthcare organizations can have educational material available on the internet; this can help them in the better engagement of their patients.
5. Automated health alerts - With more and more use of technology in healthcare, it is a very feasible way for healthcare entities to send automated health alerts to their patients, health alerts not only help patients in their care management but also engage patients in a better way.