The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, and each new evolution brings with it a shift in how patients interact with their providers. The current trend is patient engagement; patients nowadays expect and demand to be involved in near every aspect of their healthcare. They play a far greater role in their own healthcare decision making than the patients of yesteryear.

To keep apace of these changing expectations, as well as the simultaneously constant evolving legislation and regulation surrounding healthcare, administrators and practice managers have turned to newly developed techniques and digital solutions to enhance the patient experience.

Let’s take a closer look at everything that patient engagement entails.

What is patient engagement?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), patient engagement is “increasingly recognized as an integral part of health care and a critical component of safe people-centered services. Being engaged allows patients to make better, more informed decisions pertaining to their healthcare. As mentioned previously, patients now demand a far more involved role in their own healthcare, and engagement is about providing them the tools they will need for this greater involvement. While the degree to which patients desire involvement will vary greatly from one to the next, it is still in the best interest of providers to engage them. Providers will have their attention and resources split by many competing priorities; an engaged patient will push their provider to focus on patient care, which is best for the practice in the long run.

What influence patient engagement?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to patient engagement; each and every individual patient will have their own specific priorities that guide how they approach their healthcare. Regardless, there are certain universal factors that will influence the level of patient engagement providers can expect:

1. Language: Though the US is a majority English speaking country, it is also one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. This melting pot-like quality of the country ensures that not all patients will speak English. Providers should take steps to ensure they are able to properly serve non-English speakers in their local community, perhaps by hiring translators for some of the most common languages found in the area where they operate.
2. Accessibility: Ensuring all patients have access to all of the information they need is another key component of any successful engagement strategy.
3. Portals: Online portals are a fantastic tool for improving patient engagement. These solutions allow patients to update their information, book appointments, refill prescriptions, and much more.

Learn More: Better Care Through Patient Engagement

Benefits of patient engagement

The core of patient engagement is education; providing patients enough information about their conditions that they are able to make informed decisions. These patients are also better positioned to advocate for themselves and play a more active role in maintaining their health between visits. This leads to:

• Better patient experience.
• Better patient outcomes.
• Lower
• Enhanced
• Higher quality of care.
• Higher levels of
• patient participation.
• More balance in decision-making between patient and provider.

  Follow these 4 strategies for patient engagement to get started:

1. Simplify language.

Providers are accustomed to jargon-laden conversations, but these terms often go over patients’ heads, entirely. While it can be hard to extricate the jargon from their vocabulary, providers must focus on presenting information to patients in a simple and easy to understand format, preferably at the 7^th grade level.

2. Easy access to information.

The information necessary to play a greater role in decision making must be presented in multiple formats. Meet patients where they are, be that through text, audio or video.

3. Goal setting.

With the internet providing easy access to information, patients are constantly Googling symptoms to seek guidance. Providers can capitalize on this behavior, by providing the needed guidance and setting goals for self-care.

4. Open communication.

To ensure patient compliance with treatment plans, providers must be open with communication. Make sure patients understand why they are being asked to act a certain way and the consequences of noncompliance.