Main image courtesy of Ennoble Care.

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The shift to more patient-focused care has never been more important. This type of strategy is one of the best ways to improve patient outcomes and increase patient satisfaction with their provider. Person-centered care is a highly personalized approach to care that takes into account the patient’s goals and preferences, and encourages doctor/patient communication when deciding on a treatment plan. One of the best ways to make patient-focused care the norm at your healthcare facility is to use effective patient engagement strategies.

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This article will discuss:

• What patient engagement strategies are
• Which ones you can implement 
• The benefits of engaging with patients
• How AI medical scribes can improve patient engagement

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Practices that offer patient engagement strategies are more likely to grow and have satisfied patients. In fact over 60% of patients in one study said having access to digital patient services played an important role in choosing a physician. Patients want more convenient ways to access their healthcare team, and those facilities that are employing digital engagement strategies are increasing their patients. 

What are patient engagement strategies?

Why patient engagement strategies are important 

Patient engagement is at the heart of person-centered care because it fosters a personalized relationship with the provider that relies on open communication about treatment options. Patients who are engaged in their own care are more likely to adhere to the plan of care provided by their practitioner, resulting in less unnecessary visits and an increase in trust. Encouraging patients to be involved in their own health care means educating them about their treatments, tests, medications, and other options. It also requires providers to have convenient means of communication that meet patients where they are.

The goal is to have patients who collaborate with providers about their own care. When they’re knowledgeable (thanks to educational resources) about their potential options, there’s a greater chance that a beneficial decision for treatment can be reached that still incorporates their preferences and individual needs. Every patient is different, and this type of personalized approach has been very successful, as patients want to be more involved in their own care. 

Patient engagement strategies are ways that providers can foster more communication with their patients, ensuring they are involved in their healthcare journey.

Patient engagement strategies to start right now

There are a variety of engagement strategies you can employ with patients 

If you want to create an environment in your healthcare facility that encourages more patient engagement, there are some solid strategies you can implement that will do just that. The key is to not try to start every idea on this list, but rather to start with a few and see what is working well, and what isn’t. There are a few ways you’ll be able to tell if a particular method is resonating with your patients.

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• High attendance rates. When you have less no-shows and cancellations, you’ll know that strategies like appointment reminders are working for patients. 

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• Positive feedback. Giving out surveys and asking for feedback from patients is a great way to gauge whether or not what you’re doing is working.

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• Digital tool usage. When there’s a high amount of traffic with digital tools like patient portals, there’s a good chance that the strategies you’re employing are beneficial to patients.

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Here are some of the best patient engagement strategies you can include in your healthcare facility.

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Patient education

One of the best solutions to engaging your patients more in their health journey is with the right educational tools. Patients know that they can rely on you as the provider to understand and interpret their symptoms, which will give them some options when it comes to treatment. But patients want to learn about their conditions or illnesses that are affecting them--because doing so makes them feel empowered. And when patients feel empowered, they can feel confident in having a say in their treatment.

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Patients can be educated about their issues during an encounter, which is a great time for them to ask questions and receive helpful advice from their trusted provider. However, they can also learn outside of the practice with useful educational tools like handouts that go home with them that offer information and how tos. Resources like brochures, videos, or apps are great tools because patients can turn to them when they’re confused or need clarification. These are also helpful when it comes to information retention, allowing patients to make informed decisions.

Digital solutions

Taking advantage of digital technology is a fantastic way to offer convenience to your patients and keep them engaged in their health. Patient portals are a must-have for facilities who are taking patient engagement seriously. This is a centralized location where patients can log into their individual account and see their medical history, current medications, upcoming appointments, test results, and so much more. It’s also where they can schedule or cancel appointments, and send messages to their practitioner.

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Having this convenient form of communication with the healthcare office ensures that they can always reach their provider, who can offer responses or suggestions right through the portal. The same is true of mobile health apps, which can give personalized patient experiences, and hold their sensitive medical data securely all in one place. 

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Telehealth is another important way you can keep patients involved in their care. This is especially true for patients who have difficulty moving around, and those that are far distances from the office. Offering times for a video chat allows the patient to check in with their provider, and can be more personalized than just a phone call. Knowing that there are multiple ways to use technology to stay in contact with the provider encourages patients to play a bigger role in their care.

Shared decision making

One of the biggest challenges providers can face is to have a patient that does not adhere to their treatment plan. While there are a lot of reasons why this may be so, it’s best to have the patient follow the instructions of their provider. When the clinician and the patient collaborate together to come up with a suitable plan or treatment, this is called shared decision making. It involves the patient in deciding what the best course of action for their care will be. Open communication between both parties helps foster a sense of trust, as the provider can lay out a few options for them to discuss together.

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Patients feel more empowered to say what they want their care to look like when they’ve been educated about possible options--and about what the results are for certain treatments. Including patients in their own care increases the likelihood that they’ll adhere to plan and comply with the instructions, resulting in better outcomes.

Personalized care plans

Each patient is unique and has their own medical history and preferences. Which is why it’s crucial that their care be personalized to them. This is a major part of patient-centric care, since everyone has their own experiences and values--and those factors should not be dismissed. When creating a customized plan of care, practitioners need to take into account the patient’s goals, what they’re comfortable with, their medical and family history, as well as their personal preferences. 

Patient/provider communication

The key to a lasting patient/provider relationship is good communication. This can mean leaving time for questions during an encounter, and encouraging the patient to use the educational materials provided. It can also mean offering easy ways to get in touch with the healthcare facility should the patient have questions or concerns. This is easily arranged by using a patient portal or mobile app that allows patients to send questions or comments directly through to their healthcare team. 

Follow ups and check ins are also helpful ways to see how the patient is doing, how they feel about the course of their treatment, and whether or not anything needs to be adjusted. Open lines of communication can promote better adherence to the care plan, as patients have a convenient way to speak to their team without having to schedule an appointment.

Appointment reminders

One of the most convenient ways for patients to stay on top of their healthcare is quite simple--to be reminded of upcoming appointments! While it may seem like a small strategy, it really can make a difference in reducing no-shows. Most of the time people don’t show up to their appointment because they simply forget, or it never made it onto their personal calendar. Simple automated texts/emails can help eliminate this problem, resulting in more patients making it to their appointments.

Opportunities for feedback

And in order to see what’s working (and what isn’t) it’s always a good idea to ask for patient feedback. This can be done in the form of a survey that’s sent out after their encounter, or as part of their check in materials. Discerning what your patients are using and what they like lets you know that they appreciate the engagement. It’s also a good opportunity for them to inform you what isn’t working, or what they would like to see implemented instead. 

When you take into account patient suggestions and they notice this, it increases their trust in their healthcare providers.

Benefits of engaging with patients

Using strategies such as those mentioned above lead to benefits for both healthcare providers and patients. When facilities encourage patient engagement, they can expect to see benefits such as:

• Improved health outcomes that result in higher patient adherence and less readmittance to facilities like ERs
• Increased revenue from happy patients who want to stay loyal to their provider
• Better patient/provider relationship fostering a sense of trust thanks to open communication
• Enhanced patient satisfaction because patients feel like their providers are listening to them and making the focus on personalized care

Using AI medical scribes to better engage with patients

AI scribes give providers the chance to engage more with patients

Another robust way to engage more with patients during each encounter is to take advantage of all the perks of an AI medical scribe like Playback Health. These applications are designed to help clinicians stop worrying about creating a note and listening to the patient at the same time. This can be very distracting for practitioners, and it can make it feel like the patient doesn’t have the full attention of the doctor. It can be off putting and result in a lack of trust and communication between provider and patient.

Instead, AI medical scribes can transcribe the entire encounter, and create the note while the provider is listening intently to the patient—and having a dialog that continues to build trust! Once the encounter is coming to a close, the note is already there, full of all the necessary information and updates. It can then be immediately synced with the EHR, so it’s easier to share among healthcare team members.

Additional benefits of an AI scribe like Playback Health include:

• 99% transcription accuracy
• Increase in daily productivity
• Highly customizable
• EHR integration
• 2 week free trial
• Priced at $99/month
• Translations
• Support available
• Useful templates

Which patient engagement strategies will you use?

More engaged patients are more satisfied patients who feel like their concerns are being heard and their providers are working to meet their needs. Clinicians should look to provide a more patient-centric approach to care, offering personalized solutions that make communicating easier than ever before. Which patient engagement strategies will you try first?