The Psychology Behind Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is perhaps one of the most important parts of medical care, especially during the current medical crisis. Healthcare institutions are trying out different patient engagement approaches to improve their current services since patient response can affect health outcomes, medical facility income, and staff productivity. 

Understanding Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is defined as a patient's participation in making decisions about their symptoms, illnesses, and treatments. 

It also includes a cooperative partnership between patients, their families, and the healthcare team involved in their treatments. It also extends to organizational governance and policy-making involving healthcare policies, medical procedures, and personnel. 

If patients don't actively participate in their own treatments, it increases the risk of a patient not voicing any requests or information that may be relevant to their condition. Nowadays, merely getting standard consultations and assistance from medical professionals is not enough. 

For patient engagement to thrive, both a patient and their healthcare team should communicate regularly and commit to the medical procedures to make the patient better. 

Some patients may feel that they simply need to follow the advice of the medical professional they are consulting with. However, when patients have an active role in making decisions about their health, a more substantial commitment to healthcare maintenance procedures is reached. Not only can it positively affect patient recovery, but it can also reduce healthcare costs and decrease inpatient cases. 

Research was conducted to determine how a more engaging environment affected patients. 60,185 patients were divided into two groups where one group had 'normal' assistance from medical professionals while the other received 'enhanced' support. 

The results show that patients who received enhanced support had lower medical costs and inpatient admissions. ER visits of patients with enhanced support were also 2.6% lower than those who received 'normal' support. It's noticeable that both patients and healthcare providers can benefit from better patient engagement since patient outcomes are better when patients receive 'enhanced' support during their hospital visits.

How to Improve Patient Engagement 

Positive patient engagement can result in better treatments and patient outcomes. That is why many healthcare institutions are now striving to improve their services to better cater to patients' needs. Here are some ways to improve patient engagement: 

1. Use Technology to Keep Patients Engaged 

Since patient engagement has become more critical to healthcare institutions and patients, technological tools have been made available to make communication more efficient and seamless. 

For example, patient engagement software can send notifications to patients for their doctor appointments and monitor their doctor's visits. It can also help medical institutions track their patients and send messages regarding consultation hours, delays, date changes, and many more. There are mobile applications that simplify patient-doctor communication and make appointment setting easier. 

Patients who regularly set appointments and receive treatments can easily manage their schedule, and long waiting hours and delays can be avoided by using patient engagement software. 

2. Train Medical Staff in Handling Patients 

The entire hospital culture can affect how a patient perceives their visits to the doctor. Some may feel hesitant even to consult an expert regarding their conditions, so building an environment wherein patients can feel comfortable is vital to maintain positive patient engagement. 

Medical staff should greet patients by name, make eye contact, and display professionalism at all times. Any procedures involving patients should be explained thoroughly, and they should feel involved in deciding which care plan would work best for their condition. 

Another factor all healthcare professionals should consider when assisting patients is patient privacy and personal boundaries. It's essential for any medical professional to know how to approach patients and provide the necessary tools to communicate with them effectively. 

3. Encourage Participation of Family Members 

Family members also play a role in patient engagement since they can encourage a patient to seek medical attention and stay committed to their appointments. 

Healthcare providers should encourage patients to allow their family to come with them during medical examinations or consultations to provide emotional support. It helps patients feel more at ease when visiting a doctor, which can be beneficial when a patient needs to deal with bad news regarding their health condition. 

When patients identify their family caregivers, clinicians must offer health literacy to help the family member understand the medical terms of the care the patient will receive. There should also be a space in waiting and exam rooms for a family member. 

Benefits of Good Patient Engagement 

Better patient engagement has positive effects on both patients and healthcare professionals. Medical institutions should understand how to cater to patients well since it can also influence and impact a health facility's efficiency and staff. A good relationship between patients and their healthcare providers can result in several benefits, which includes the following: 

• It can prevent missed appointments: When patients receive reminders about their consultations, they can either confirm or cancel, which will prevent any no shows during office hours. Those who need frequent hospital visits can easily receive notifications regarding their appointments with the use of a patient engagement tool, such as a text message service. This way, a patient will more likely remember their consultation with the doctor. 

• Patient engagement tools make administrative work easier: Incorporating patient engagement tools such as automated text reminders and online booking systems ease the workload usually shouldered by the healthcare facility's administrative staff. It also helps focus the attention of medical workers on the patients present in their workplace rather than those who aren't. 

• It can lead to better patient outcomes: Patients who are active in receiving their treatments have a better chance of getting better than those who often miss their appointments and fail to adhere to their doctor's advice. 

• It makes clinic hours more efficient: When a patient notifies a clinic ahead that they will not be able to attend, the doctor can quickly assist the next patient instead of waiting for someone who will not come. An efficient patient engagement tool that organizes the day-to-day activities involving doctors and patients can minimize waiting time for both parties.

Final Thoughts 

Catering to a patient requires time and dedication from both a healthcare institution and its staff. People who often seek medical care are hesitant to fully commit to treatments if they don't feel comfortable enough to put their health in the hands of the medical professional assisting them. 

That is why maintaining a positive patient engagement is critical in ensuring that patients feel that they are well-cared for. There are tools and tips that will help all medical facilities improve their patient care to ensure that all patients receive proper treatment.

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