Dealing with patients is a complex and delicate matter. Patient engagement solutions are an important part of improving care because they help to ensure that patients feel they are involved and in control of their care. They can help to improve rehabilitation, reduce the likelihood of readmission, and also make the patient feel that they are getting higher quality care.
Patient engagement solutions are useful both for the health care provider and the patient. There are many different types of engagement solutions, and it is up to each health care provider to choose what information they make available to patients, and how they deliver it, as well as how they solicit feedback from the patient.
An Investment in Patient Wellbeing
Patient engagement platform can be a significant investment for many hospitals. It may require investment in hardware, software, and also in the computer network. This investment can pay-off in long term patient wellbeing and satisfaction can make it worthwhile.
In a world where patients can pick and choose where they go for health care, and review scores matter a lot for getting new patients, anything that can improve the quality of care is a valuable thing.
Many companies offer engagement solutions for healthcare providers. Companies such as Relatient, & Santovia, are all working to help hospitals, doctors, physiotherapists and specialist clinics to improve the way that they communicate with their patients, improve patient adherence with medical guidance, and improve the long term outcomes for the patients in their client’s care.
Data Capture and Monitoring for Patients
Being in hospital can be scary for some patients, especially if they don’t feel that they’re getting information about their care, or that they aren’t getting enough options for things like food that they are served. Patient Engagement Platform can help by giving the patient access to information about their care plan, and by allowing them to choose from food menus, or request other services that are available to them, from the comfort of their hospital bed.
The tools can also be used to ask patients for feedback on the care that they are getting. This feedback can help in two ways:
– Firstly – The patient gets to ask questions or express frustrations in a timely fashion. If the feedback is something that the caregivers can act on quickly, then their experience during their hospital stay will be improved.
– Secondly – The hospital staff gets feedback from more patients since it is easy for them to give. This means that they have plenty of information to refer to and that they can improve care for all future patients.
Better Communication Between Different Providers
For patients that tend to use health care providers within the same network, having the ability to collect information and store it on one central database that can be seen by hospitals, family care providers, and specialists is a boon. It reduces the need to repeat diagnostics over and over, and it helps to ensure a consistent, high-quality level of care for all patients.
Comfort for Those Who Are Confused
Patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other conditions that can confuse can benefit from having access to a bedside patient engagement solution. For a patient with dementia, the unfamiliar hospital environment can be intimidating, especially at night time.
Many patient engagement platforms come with a patient orientation screen that helps to remind the patient where they are and also provides them with basic information such as the day, the time of day, and what their next meal will be. This can be calming and comforting. Those who are visually impaired have the option of using a ‘speaking’ version of the screen, so if they are feeling lost and confused, they can still find out the things that they want to know.
Easier Communication in Multiple Languages
Some cities are multicultural and have a large number of patients who did not grow up speaking English as their first language. For those patients, having the option to communicate in their natural language means a lot to them.
Presenting information to them in their native language on a computer screen helps to make the patient feel at home and can reduce stress and anxiety. Of course, it is better if a doctor or a nurse can speak to them and offer comfort and guidance in their first language, but that is not always possible depending on the size of the hospital.
Patient engagement can be combined with education to help patients understand why it is so important to follow doctor guidance. Effective patient education encourages patients to be accountable for their health and helps to improve the trust between the patient and their doctors, nurses, and specialists.
With a lot of medical conditions, long term adherence is essential to ensure that the patient’s health remains stable and that their condition does not get worse. Encouraging patients to stick to their treatment plans even when they leave the hospital is a challenge, but having a good understanding of their condition and how important the treatment plans are is an excellent first step.
Patients should feel informed, empowered, and that they can trust their health care providers. These are all things that a good engagement tool can help within the long term.
